OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide - Robert Half

2016SALARY GUIDEADMINISTRATIVE HIRING TRENDS

Table of Contents1Your Source for Administrative Hiring Trends2Understanding the Salary Guide4Hiring Trends in the United States6Spotlight: Administrative Healthcare Hiring Trends8Administrative Salaries: United States11Local Market Variances: United States15Hiring Trends in Canada16Administrative Salaries:Canada18Local Market Variances: Canada19What Does Growing Employee Confidence Mean for Salaries?20Hiring for Your Work Environment21Gen Z: The Next Generation of Workers Is Here!22Glossary of Job Descriptions29Why Today’s Businesses Need a Flexible Staffing Strategy30About OfficeTeam32Worldwide LocationsAll trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.com

Your Source forAdministrative Hiring TrendsThe hiring market is becoming evermore competitive. To recruit andkeep the best talent, more employerssay they are willing to negotiatecompensation than they were just ayear ago, our research shows. Butit’s often difficult to know whether anoffer is the right one.That’s why it’s critical to benchmarkyour compensation levels periodicallyto ensure what you are paying is inline with what other companies areoffering in your area. Since 1996,OfficeTeam has published an annualSalary Guide to help employersremain competitive in their industryand region.In preparing the guide each year, wetap our deep networks to identify thelatest hiring and workplace trends.We’re pleased to present the 2016Salary Guide, which features aforecast of compensation ranges forpositions across the administrativefield. We hope you will find ithelpful as you grow your organizationin 2016.For more about compensation and staffing,please visit our Salary Center atofficeteam.com/salary-center.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.com1

Understanding theSalary GuideFor decades, the OfficeTeam Salary Guide has been a highlyregarded resource for employers — and for good reason.Competitive compensation is a company’s best line of defenseagainst losing top talent.The 2016 Salary Guide features salary ranges for more than 60administrative positions, including executive and administrativeassistant, receptionist, customer service representative, andhuman resources (HR) assistant. Each year, employers use theguide to set compensation levels for new hires, plan budgets andbetter understand the hiring environment. The Salary Guide is sohighly regarded that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau ofLabor Statistics has included the guide’s data in its OccupationalOutlook Handbook.The salary figures in the 2016 edition of our guide are based ona number of sources, most notably the thousands of full-time andtemporary placements our staffing and recruiting professionalsmake each year. Our experts interact with hiring managers andjob seekers daily, which gives us unique real-world insight intothe latest compensation trends.Other sources include: Our surveys of executivesand hiring managersthroughout North America An in-depth analysis of thehiring environment and anextrapolation of currenttrends into 2016 Local insights from ourstaffing and recruitingteams throughout ourglobal branch networkThe projected salariesfor each position reflectstarting pay only. Bonuses,incentives and other formsof compensation are nottaken into account. Sinceprofessionals joining acompany may enter at a varietyof experience levels, we reportsalaries in ranges. The rangesrepresent national averagesand can be adjusted for yourmarket by using the localvariance numbers on Pages12-14 for the United States andPage 18 for Canada.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.com2

62%of support staff saidadministrative professionals aremore valued by their companiesthan they were 10 years ago.60%of managers agreed.Source: OfficeTeam and International Association of Administrative Professionals survey of 2,290administrative professionals and 610 senior managers in the United States and CanadaOfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.com3

Hiring Trendsin the United StatesAs businesses across the country continue to expand their administrative teams,they are creating more opportunities for both well-versed professionals and thosewith only a few years’ experience. Here are the top trends driving the job marketfor administrative staff:Competition is heating up.Top candidates don’t stay in the jobmarket for long. In fact, competitionfor the most skilled professionalsis so strong that some firms aremaking offers as soon as they findthe right candidate to avoid losingout. Companies with an organized,efficient hiring process will havea better chance of landing highlyskilled talent because they canmove quickly once a top prospectis identified.Pay is rising.Because firms are struggling tofind the talent they need, manyare starting to raise salaries tokeep their best people. Executiveassistants, administrative assistantsand customer service representativesare in particular demand acrossall industries. Companies are alsoadding jobs in their HR departmentsto support an overall spike in hiring.Perks are gaining in importance.Higher pay is just one of theincentives employers are usingto attract and retain employees.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.comOrganizations are starting to offermore workplace benefits, as well,including flexible work schedules,additional vacation time, andfree meals and snacks at theoffice. Others are doing more toacknowledge their employees’accomplishments and build morale.The strong hiring outlook isbroad-based.Healthcare-related organizationssuch as medical groups and healthplans continue to fuel hiring inthe administrative field. Otherindustries, including real estateand construction, are also seeingan upswing in business and areexpanding their administrative teamsaccordingly. Hiring is strong in thenonprofit sector, as well.Temporary-to-full-timearrangements are popular.Firms in all industries continue tohire administrative staff on atemporary basis. Those professionalswho prove to be a good fit for the joband company are often brought onfull time.4

Skills in DemandTechnical expertiseA can-do attitudeMicrosoft Office skills are amust-have for administrativeprofessionals in today’s workplace,but many employers are also seekingexperience in other areas. Forinstance, firms now often rely onsupport staff to monitor and respondto customer feedback on socialmedia platforms such as Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, Google ,Instagram and Pinterest. They’realso looking for candidates withproficiency in database managementsoftware, including FileMaker Proand Microsoft Access, and familiaritywith SAP or other enterprise resourceplanning systems.Administrative personnel areexpected to jump in and help withmany different types of projects, andcompanies want support staff whoare comfortable stepping outsidetheir traditional roles. It’s importantthat staff exhibit flexibility and awillingness to pitch in, as well asresourcefulness and initiative when itcomes to solving problems.Experience in the fieldMost firms are looking forcandidates who have worked atleast two years as an administrativeprofessional. They seek workerswho are prepared to hit the groundrunning, are open to learningnew skills and can grow with thecompany. Some employers mayalso prefer individuals with acollege degree.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.comGood communication skillsBecause they are often the maincontact for clients, customers andvendors, administrative staff musthave excellent verbal and writtencommunication skills. The abilityto respond to requests clearly,accurately and comprehensively iscritical. Multilingual skills are also aplus in many industries.ProfessionalismCustomers and clients often formtheir first impression of the companythrough their interactions withadministrative workers. For thatreason, it’s critical that staff are wellgroomed, dress appropriately andspeak confidently and courteously.5

Spotlight: AdministrativeHealthcare Hiring TrendsDemand for administrative professionals in the healthcare industry remainsvery strong. Following are the top trends influencing hiring in this area:Healthcare companies wantsoftware experience.Employers seek professionals whohave been trained in the necessarysoftware programs so they canjump in and contribute immediately.Popular applications include thosefrom Allscripts, athenahealth,Centricity, Cerner, eClinicalWorks,Epic and NextGen.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.comCustomer service skillsare paramount.Healthcare providers are seekingefficient, tactful, courteous front-endstaff to help manage an influx ofpeople visiting their facilities. Manyare new patients who have onlyrecently obtained health insurancethrough the Affordable Care Act.6

According to theU.S. Department of Labor’sBureau of Labor Statistics,healthcare is projected to add5 million jobs in the United Statesbetween 2012 and 2022 — the mostof any industry. In fact, 14 of the 30fastest-growing U.S. occupationsare healthcare-related.Conversion remainstop-of-mind.Hiring managers in the healthcarefield look for administrative staffwho can assist with the transition toelectronic medical records. Also,with the conversion from the WorldHealth Organization’s InternationalClassification of Diseases, NinthRevision (ICD-9) to ICD-10continuing, demand for coding andhealth information managementprofessionals will remain high.OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.comDemand is growing due toan aging population.As the population of Americans ages65 and older increases, so doesthe need for workers in healthcareservices to help serve them. Inparticular, companies that providelong-term care, home healthcareand durable medical equipment areexpanding and are in need of highlyskilled administrative professionals.7

Administrative Salaries:United StatesTitle20152016% changeAdministrativeSenior Executive Assistant*Executive AssistantSenior Administrative AssistantAdministrative AssistantEntry-Level Administrative AssistantMarketing AssistantSales AssistantSpecialized Assistant - LegalProperty Management AssistantMortgage AssistantResearch AdministratorAdmissions AssistantProject Assistant/CoordinatorPurchasing Assistant 50,500 42,000 38,250 30,750 27,250 31,500 30,250 37,500 31,500 30,250 31,250 29,500 31,250 32,750- 67,250 57,500 49,000 41,750 34,500 41,000 41,000 46,500 41,000 38,250 38,250 37,000 45,250 41,000 53,500 44,000 39,750 32,250 28,250 32,750 31,500 39,000 32,750 31,500 32,500 30,500 32,500 33,750- 69,250 59,500 51,000 43,250 36,000 42,500 42,500 47,750 42,500 39,500 39,500 38,250 47,000 3.4%3.9%3.7% 38,750 - 61,500 38,750 - 61,500 43,000 - 56,500 40,750 - 63,500 40,750 - 63,750 44,000 - 59,5004.0%4.2%4.0% 28,500 23,000 22,500 21,750 23,000 29,500 32,750 30,000 27,750 37,500 44,500 29,750 23,750 23,250 22,500 24,000 30,750 34,000 31,000 28,750 39,000 ManagementOffice ManagerFacilities ManagerProject ManagerOffice ServicesOffice/Facilities Coordinator/AssistantOffice ClerkMail Assistant/ClerkFile ClerkImaging/Scanning SpecialistClaims ProcessorLogistics CoordinatorDispatcherDocument Control ClerkProofreaderPresentation SpecialistOfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide officeteam.com- 38,250 30,000 26,000 26,000 28,750 37,250 44,250 40,250 35,000 55,250 57,500- 39,250 31,000 26,250 26,250 29,250 38,250 45,750 41,250 36,000 57,500 60,5008