For those of you who haven’t checked your Hallmark Cards calendar lately, tomorrow April 23, is Administrative Professional’s Day. The traditional ways of celebrating this day is with cards, flowers, and lunch. (Now aren’t you glad you read this blog, but if you are reading it on April 24^th, sorry you blew it.)

 

Originally called Secretary’s Day, this holiday was created by public relations man Harry F. Klemfuss to encourage more women to become secretaries. In 2006, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics found the workforce was comprised of more than 4.2 million secretaries and administrative assistants. Over the years, the variety of tasks and technical skills required has changed greatly.

Over the last four years nationwide, pay has increased slightly for administrative professionals, secretaries and executive assistants. However, salaries for these positions can vary widely based upon position and years of experience.

Administrative assistants earn $35,400 on average, while secretaries make $30,000 according to the Compensation Data 2007 survey of nearly 5,300 employers. Over the last four years, pay has increased by nearly 6 percent for administrative assistants and by 4.5 percent for secretaries. With a bachelor’s degree and three to five years of experience, individuals can earn $48,300 on average as executive assistants. Since 2004, salaries for executive assistants have increased by 6.4 percent.

Riverside County has two levels in the general Secretarial series: Secretary I ($40,072.03 annually); and Secretary II ($44,541.12 annually); plus the County’s Executive Secretary position is paid $47,004.05 annually. There are another two levels of Executive Assistant; Executive Assistant I ($50,964.37 annually) and Executive Assistant II ($55,118.54 annually).

 

About the Survey - Compensation Data 2007 contains data on 539 job titles ranging from entry-level to top executives. Information was collected on almost 6 million employees across the country. The results provide a comprehensive summary of pay data, benefits information and pay practices.

Oh, before I get away… let me wish you a memorable Earth Day (which is another story altogether). The founder, Gaylord Nelson, spoke to my UNLV class when he was going around the country promoting the idea of an Earth Day.  I subsequently studied ecology and the environment at the University of California, Irvine, and recived a Certificate in Environmental Planning after completing a one year, 8 course program.

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