Experts believe an increase in demand for skilled personal and executive assistants could mean average pay for these roles will grow. Nick Allwood from Robert Walters explores this shift in the industry
2016 was a year marked by surprise political shifts in the UK and abroad, and many feared this could see employer confidence shaken, leading firms to reduce hiring. However, despite a turbulent year, confidence among employers appears to have remained steady, with many businesses still pursuing sustainable growth in 2017 and looking to take on staff to support this.
In particular, demand for personal assistants has risen in 2017 compared to last year, with employers competing to secure top talent and driving up salaries as a result. Personal assistants with in-demand skills and experience will be able to secure pay rises of up to 10 per cent.
A shortage of highly skilled and experienced PAs has seen salaries for these professionals rise ahead of other roles. As employers compete to secure top-calibre candidates for personal assistant positions drawing on a small pool of talent, salaries are increasing accordingly.
The fact that demand remains high for support staff and that businesses are prepared to compete to secure top talent is an encouraging sign that firms are set for steady growth in 2017, seeking high-calibre secretarial professionals in order to provide vital support to ensure that this growth is sustainable.
Despite an uncertain economic climate, employers are still looking to achieve steady growth in 2017, with businesses in the North West of England showing particular confidence. This is reflected in the salary growth we have seen for secretarial and support professionals.
Permanent salary growth outstrips contract
While salaries for contract secretarial and support staff are also expected to rise, permanent staff can expect to see salaries rise faster than interim or temp professionals. While opportunities certainly still exist for contract professionals there is evidently a growing demand for permanent secretarial and support staff. As businesses plan for steady and sustainable growth, permanent staff are needed, with employers looking to invest in retaining highly skilled business support professionals. In many cases, this also means employers will offer opportunities for career development in order to ensure that they can retain high potential professionals.
Personal assistants, receptionists and administrative assistants are all highly sought after, but those with particularly valuable business skills or experience stand to secure strong salaries and benefits packages.
In particular, fluency in foreign languages remains highly sought after among support professionals. While any foreign language skills are valuable in a support role, we have seen particular demand for French, German and Spanish speakers.
In short, 2017 promises to be a great year for PAs.
Nick Allwood graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Economics. He joined Robert Walters to lead the HR and Secretarial & Support teams in the North West. The division has established itself as the recruiter of choice for all levels of secretarial and business support appointments across the North. The team specialises in recruiting permanent and contract candidates across a broad spectrum of roles, including team assistants, office management, EAs, secretaries and legal secretaries, among others. To find out more, visit robertwalters.co.uk
