EA-Pros Week 37 - Compensation trending up for assistants

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all—Walt Disney.” As we celebrate you and your profession at large this month, the message is simple. Keep blooming assistants. No one elevates a business quite like. you do! — Joshua Washington

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EA INSIGHTS

Key Insights to Help You Thrive!

Compensation Trending Up for Administrative Professionals as the Pandemic Recedes:
Later this month, my friends at the American Society for Administrative Professionals will be releasing their full 2024 State of the Profession report. Since I will be speaking at this year’s EAIgnite State of the Profession panel, I was able to offer you some of the findings from this groundbreaking study early. Here’s what you need to know: Average wages are on the rise, outpacing both 2023 trends and the rate of inflation.

• Assistants’ compensation is comparable to that of middle managers and project managers.

• Most assistants are salaried, and the proportion of salaried assistants is rising year over year.

• Overall, the study points to a growing awareness of the vital importance of assistants as strategic business partners. If you have a strategic plan, you can draw on this data when pursuing compensation, adjustments, or evaluating career opportunities.

I will share the full report to this subscriber list once it is made public. For now, the biggest takeaway I want to emphasize is how crucial a time this is for those of you looking to advance. There has been no better time for assistants than what we’re seeing now. Take advantage by knowing and leveraging your professional value. If you feel stuck I’m offering free consults to this subscriber list only. Access your here.

Administrative Professionals Are Upskilling:
Here’s another interesting insight from this report. What has always been a pretty competitive profession is kicking up a notch

After surveying over 3,200 assistants, this study reveals that assistants must harness 21 skills on average across four major categories:

• Power skills - advanced communication and leadership

• Management skills - such as event coordination and executive presence

• Technical skills -such as email and calendar management and collaboration tools

• Project management skills - such as budget tracking and using specialized software

The data shows that assistants who support executives versus assistants who are line managers, tend to need different skills than those who do not support executives or manage others.

Overall executive-supporting assistants and line-manager assistants must have 22 skills on average, while other assistants average 17 skills.

The greatest takeaway here I believe, is the importance of upskilling in these four areas. I can’t emphasize this enough, competition for future roles and advancement opportunities is only increasing. Any advantage you give yourself now you will reap the benefits later

I hope you found these insights to be helpful. Be on the lookout for links to the full report in upcoming newsletters

About the American Society for Administrative Professionals:
The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) is the world’s leading association for the administrative profession. With 90,000+ members and growing, our mission is to provide the latest training and resources to administrative professionals and companies.

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