Secretaries and administrative assistants: AI and the work ahead
Routine correspondence, records and scheduling can be assisted or automated. Administrative value also comes from handling exceptions, maintaining reliable information and coordinating the work that falls between formal processes.
The source occupation excludes legal, medical and executive secretaries and assistants. Those roles have different task definitions; the shorter page title should not be taken to include them.
Compare the duties below with a normal week in your own role. Time
spent, responsibility, employer tools and access to reliable data can
change the picture substantially. Use the personal task audit to
identify those differences.
Task-by-task exposure
We selected 8 of 20 O*NET core
tasks by importance. Importance is an O*NET rating on a 1–5 scale; it
is not the percentage of time spent. The category and explanation are
our interpretation, not an O*NET assessment of AI.
1 routine automation 5 ai-assisted 2 human-led
Reading uncertainty: changing one task by one
category step would put this index at approximately 38–50/100. This is a
sensitivity example, not a statistical confidence interval. Small
score differences are not a sound reason to change careers.
Selected core tasks and our interpretation
Task and source detail
Assessment and reason
Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
O*NET task 2790 · Importance 4.33/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
AI-assisted
Known inquiries can use approved answers and routing. An unfamiliar caller or sensitive question requires clarification rather than a guessed response.
Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
O*NET task 2791 · Importance 4.32/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
Human-led
Reception includes reading the situation and handling people in the physical workplace. Automated information helps without carrying out that full interaction.
Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.
O*NET task 20280 · Importance 4.22/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
AI-assisted
Word processing and routine document tasks are assistable. Choosing the correct information and handling it appropriately remain part of the administrative duty.
Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
O*NET task 20281 · Importance 4.22/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
Routine automation
Validated structured entries can flow into a database through configured forms or imports. Data definitions, authorization and exceptions require an owner.
Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.
O*NET task 20283 · Importance 4.06/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
Human-led
Operating and arranging repair of office equipment involves the physical environment and vendors. A diagnostic suggestion does not perform the intervention.
Set up and manage paper or electronic filing systems, recording information, updating paperwork, or maintaining documents, such as attendance records, correspondence, or other material.
O*NET task 20282 · Importance 4.00/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
AI-assisted
Indexing and digital organization can be assisted. Retention rules, misfiled records and sensitive access need explicit handling.
Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations.
O*NET task 2813 · Importance 3.95/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
AI-assisted
Drafting and summarizing messages can support information flow. The assistant must verify recipients, context and whether an exchange needs escalation.
Schedule and confirm appointments for clients, customers, or supervisors.
O*NET task 2801 · Importance 3.93/5
Task source: 08/2019 · Rating: 08/2019
AI-assisted
Configured calendars can handle bounded booking. Conflicting priorities, access needs and rescheduling exceptions require attention to the people involved.
Routine automation includes conventional configured software; it does
not imply autonomous AI or adoption by every employer. Human-led
allows supporting tools. Vendor links document a capability, not a
validated rating of this complete task. Older task dates are shown
even though the database release is August 2026.
Task wording and importance: O*NET occupation 43-6014.00,
O*NET 31.0 Database
, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, CC BY 4.0.
Selected and adapted by Career Risk Score; USDOL/ETA has not approved,
endorsed or tested these changes.
What assistance looks like in practice
Hypothetical workflow to illustrate the boundary; not a reported case
study.
An office receives incomplete requests for a shared resource. A tool drafts replies and records bookings. The assistant checks missing information, resolves conflicting requests and ensures the record reflects the final agreement.
What must be checked
Verify dates, participants and permissions before confirming an arrangement. Keep the authoritative record consistent instead of allowing several draft messages to become competing versions of the plan.
Practical skills to strengthen
Improve a recurring office process and document the exceptions.
Develop reliable spreadsheet, record-management and correspondence skills.
Demonstrate a coordinated event or workflow with clear responsibilities.
Changes worth watching
Watch which requests move into forms and self-service systems.
Track demand for specialized industry knowledge and cross-team coordination.
There is no supported date when this occupation becomes “safe” or
disappears. Revisit these observations as your tasks and tools change.
Tools behind these capability examples
These are relevant documented capabilities, not endorsements,
adoption statistics or hands-on product reviews. Features depend on
the product, plan and employer configuration. References checked
September 2026.
Zendesk AISupport automation and agent assistance; escalation and policy boundaries require configuration.
BLS reports median annual pay of $47,540
in 2025, with 163,900 projected
openings per year on average during 2025–35. Openings include
replacement needs as well as growth; they are not a count of currently
advertised vacancies.
The projected employment change is -6%
over ten years. A declining employment total can coexist with replacement openings. It does not by itself explain the cause of decline.
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
None
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Executive support adds more complex prioritization and confidentiality. Bookkeeping requires learning financial records and reconciliation, not simply transferring general spreadsheet skills.
BLS categories describe typical entry, not a complete qualification
checklist. “None” does not mean no learning is needed. National
medians are not starting salaries; location, sector, experience, hours
and benefits matter. Wage data exclude self-employed earnings. Consult
local job descriptions and relevant credential authorities before
paying for training.
These links identify transferable work and a concrete gap to explore.
They are not guaranteed pathways, “AI-proof” jobs or recommendations
based on a small score difference.
Practice coordinating conflicting priorities with an explicit decision and communication process.
BLS typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent; related experience: Less than 5 years.
12 shared skills among each role's top
12
Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Service Orientation, Time Management, Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning.
These broad O*NET skills are selected by importance, with
ties broken by skill ID. Overlap does not measure
proficiency or hiring readiness.
Complete a basic reconciliation and demonstrate how you handle missing supporting records.
BLS typical entry: Some college, no degree; related experience: None.
10 shared skills among each role's top
12
Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Service Orientation, Time Management, Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Active Learning.
These broad O*NET skills are selected by importance, with
ties broken by skill ID. Overlap does not measure
proficiency or hiring readiness.
Use your own plausible pay figures to explore a move. Both pay fields start
at this occupation's national median so the calculator does not imply a
salary increase. A destination median describes existing workers, not your
likely starting offer.
A fixed-pay illustration in nominal dollars. Unpaid months occur at the
start of preparation; costs are charged at the start. Transition must fit
within the comparison period. Excludes taxes, benefits, raises, inflation,
investment returns and the chance of getting a job. A negative result is
possible. No inputs are saved or sent by this calculator.
Calculation and a worked example
Stay = current pay × years. Move = preparation pay × (preparation years −
unpaid months ÷ 12) + new pay × (years − preparation years) − one-time
cost.
For $60,000 current pay, $70,000 new pay, $50,000 preparation pay, two
years preparing, three unpaid months, $8,000 costs and a ten-year
comparison: stay = $600,000; move = $639,500. The $39,500 difference is a
scenario result, not a forecast. Break-even checks cumulative totals each
month under these same assumptions.
Check the evidence and limits
The index weights these sampled tasks equally. It does not measure
time, adoption, cost savings, unemployment or individual ability. The
examples and transition exercises are editorial inferences. Product
documentation supports the narrower capability described, not the
claim that a whole job can be replaced.
