US admin professionals confident of job security

Overall optimism among admin support workers in the US increased during the first three months of this year, rising nearly 4% to 51.3% compared with the previous quarter. Nearly a quarter (22%) of all employees believe that the US economy is strengthening, versus just 17% who felt the same last December. Almost three-quarters of admin professionals there, a solid 72%, say they are confident in their job security, up 2% from last time. Despite this rise, 37% say they are likely to look for a new job over the next 12 months in a survey conducted on behalf of recruitment firm Randstad.

Meanwhile, a US chauffeur hire company has singled out what it believes to be the most important traits that every successful personal assistant needs. The ability to manage both people and projects tops the list, followed by basic finance skills, multi-tasking and technical expertise in terms of knowledge of new technologies.

Having a thick skin in order to be able to avoid being too put-upon when it comes to dealing with a demanding boss is also rated essential, as is the ability to keep company secrets confidential. Showing good intuition, ie anticipating a manager’s needs ahead of time, and ingenuity in the form of finding a solution to last-minute, complex tasks are also vital, according to New Jersey-based Empire-CLS.