Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE By George Pearson AAU Editor Administrative professionals in Can- ada (and the United States) continue to experience a strong hiring market that values their capacity to take on increasingly complex responsibilities, allowing their executives to focus on business drivers and management challenges. The demand for experienced, skilled administrative pros is so intense that staffing and placement specialists such as OfficeTeam, a division of Robert Half, are advising employers not to delay making an of - fer once a prime candidate has passed due diligence, since top candidates are likely to be looking at multiple offers. In a recent OfficeTeam survey of more than 600 senior managers in North America, all of them said their assistant was important to their suc- cess and 75 per cent said responsibili- ties for administrative professionals had increased in the past five years. Admin support critical inside and outside organization "Administrative professionals are sup- porting businesses and business leaders in all realms inside and outside the com- pany," says Office- Team district presi- dent Koula Vasilopoulos, "Business leaders are looking for individuals who can present the organization in a way that holds a very high standard." OfficeTeam's recently released 2019 Administrative Salary Guide indicates that year-over-year salary levels have increased as much as three per cent – and sometimes more – as compared to a year ago. Office Team calculates that a senior administrative assistant in Calgary, having reached the midpoint of sala- ries overall in that category, was paid about $51, 240 last year. This year that midpoint salary is estimated at $53,300. In Toronto an executive assistant at the 75 th percentile of the category was estimated to be earning $62,940 last year, a number that increased to $65,300 in the 2019 Salary Guide. A senior EA in Toronto at the 95 th percentile for that category is pro- jected to earn $91,260 this year. In Vancouver that senior EA is pegged at $91,870. 4 trends that affect admin hiring The 2019 Salary Guide identifies four trends affecting hiring of administra- tive professionals in Canada: Temp-to-hire – More employers are bringing in interim employees to bridge staffing needs and then evalu- ating them as potential fulltime hires. Rising salaries – Minimum-wage increases and improving economies are pushing starting compensation upward for admin pros. Soft skills – Communication skills top the list, as admins' responsibilities increasingly include high-level com- munications both inside and outside the organization. Project management and flexibility are high on the list as well. Bilingual candidates – Demand is high for admins fluent in English and French. Even if it's not a requirement for a particular job, says OfficeTeam's Vasilopoulos, "it never really goes unused." Sectors with the greatest demand for administrative professionals in Canada include construction, prop - erty management, government and healthcare. Benefits are very much in play as top job candidates negotiate the details of their employment. Health insurance top-ups, as well as dental and vision insurance are high on the list. So is time off (including vacation, sick days and paid holidays). Job seekers are looking for an average of 14 days off when joining a new company, according to Office- Team. For employees with less than five years' service in a company, the average number of actual paid days off is 10. As for perquisites ("perks"), about 62 per cent of employers offer flexible work schedules and 17 per cent offer a compressed work week. Both are high on prospective employees' "want" lists, as is telecommuting, which 14 per cent of employers actually pro- vide. About 90 per cent of companies match employees' contributions to an RRSP at a rate of 3-4 per cent. Today's admin brings more skills to the table Today's potential hires bring a lot more skills to the table than was the case a decade ago, says Vasilopoulos, and those skills can contribute directly to the company's bottom line in areas such as cost control. "Many administrative professionals already help identify cost inefficien- cies and negotiate with vendors and help streamline procedures," she says. "In the world of administrative professionals, I am excited in what I see as skill sets and what people bring to the table in terms of what value they can add to the role and how those roles have evolved." See 10 questions admins may face in job interviews, page 7 Skilled admins continue in high demand Koula Vasilopoulos

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