Roles Defined: American Society of Administrative Professionals State of the Profession Report Reveals Essential Power Skills
*Strong communication and time management top the list, and AI is being leveraged*
*PORTLAND, ME / ACCESSWIRE / April 22, 2024 /* While the necessary skill set for an administrative professional (AP) is ever expanding and diversifying, the latest State of the Profession Report from the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) shows consistencies that persist year-over-year. Facilitating internal communications remains the top job responsibility reported by APs, while strong communication remains the top power skill, followed by time management, problem solving, and critical thinking.
The largest-ever benchmarking survey of administrative professionals-including executive assistants, administrative assistants, and more related job titles-also shows that APs assume, on average, 22 different responsibilities in their roles and have acquired six to seven new skills over the past 12 months.
The full report will be released during ASAP's EA Ignite Precision Training Conference in Nashville, Tenn. on April 24 in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day.
Key findings around essential skills and responsibilities for APs include the following:
*Top required technical and power skills remain relatively consistent:* Across the board, APs reported proficiency in several basic technical tools, consistent with findings from 2023. The technical areas in which APs feel they have the greatest level of expertise are email and calendar management, document tools, internet research, and meeting and event coordination and management. The top essential power skills for their roles, according to the APs surveyed, are strong communication (written and verbal), time management, problem solving, and critical thinking.
*Executive-supporting APs report a broader skill set: *APs who support executives reported an average of 23 different responsibilities that shape their roles, while those who do not support executives reported an average of 17 responsibilities. The study found APs who support executives were also more likely to have management-related responsibilities, and they placed more emphasis on the importance of videoconferencing, travel tools, minute-taking, design software, and technical writing skills in their roles.
*APs are experimenting with Artificial Intelligence (AI):* For the first time in this study, ASAP asked survey respondents if they use any AI tools in their work. About a quarter of APs said they use AI to fulfill their job responsibilities, with APs who support executives more likely to say they use AI than non-executive supporting APs. The most common AI tool used is ChatGPT (86%), followed by Grammarly (41%) and Microsoft Copilot (13%).
*Advanced software use varies by industry:* Whether APs reported proficiency in specialized software was highly dependent on their industry. For example, 62% of APs working in finance reported using at least one type of specialist software in their role, such as QuickBooks or Oracle NetSuite. Similar results were found in the use of AI. Of those working in technology and software, 41% reported using AI in the past year, followed by APs working in consulting and professional services at 37%. However, APs who work in the healthcare and medical or government and non-profit sectors were least likely to report using AI tools in their roles.
*About the ASAP State of the Profession Report*
Each year since 2020, ASAP has produced the largest benchmarking survey ever of administrative professionals. This research aims to illustrate the current state of the administrative profession, act as a resource among members for self-advocacy, and help organizations to understand this diverse talent pool.
*About ASAP*
At 90,000+ members and growing, the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) is the leading global association for the administrative profession. The Portland, Maine-based organization was founded in 2005 as a resource and community for members seeking to navigate the ever-evolving business climate and develop the skills they need to advance their careers. ASAP provides the latest role-specific training and its own online certification program, Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE). ASAP also produces the annual Administrative Professionals Conference (APC) and EA Ignite training events. For more information, visit www.asaporg.com.
Media Contacts:
Jamie Scalici / Lindsay Ksanznak
Mower
212-980-9194 / 585-402-1916
jscalici@mower.com / lksanznak@mower.com
*SOURCE: *American Society of Administrative Professionals
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