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Secretary

Also called typist, assistant, office worker

Secretaries perform a variety of administrative tasks to help keep an organisation run smoothly. They answer telephone calls, draft and send e-mails, maintain diaries, arrange appointments, take messages, file documents, organise and service meetings, and manage databases.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects18 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.General and keyboard clerksWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,100 (Bulgaria) to €5,200 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · General and keyboard clerksWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.General and keyboard clerksWill AI change it?SignificantlyLevel 5 of 6. AI could take on a large part of 1 of the 8 main tasks.Secretaries (general) · ILO

What you'd do

Secretaries (general) · ILO
  • Checking, formatting and transcribing correspondence, minutes and reports from dictation, electronic documents or written drafts to conform to office standards, using typewriter, personal computer or other word processing equipment
  • Using various computer software packages including spreadsheets to provide administrative support
  • Dealing with incoming or outgoing mail
  • Scanning, recording and distributing mail, correspondence and documents
  • Screening requests for meetings or appointments and helping to organize meetings
  • Screening and recording staff-members' leave and other entitlements
  • Organizing and supervising filing systems
  • Dealing with routine correspondence on their own initiative
Monitor staff absencesCommunicate schedules to the people concernedOrganise facilities for office personnelManage personnel agendaDraft corporate emails+ 16 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as general and keyboard clerks in the EU
6.61m8.91m8.7m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
1,798,000 replacing leavers 200,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
General and keyboard clerks18
All jobs29
Right now
1 of 27 countries report a shortage of secretaries (general), 15 a surplus.
Secretaries (general) · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,100 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,200 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among clerical support workers in the EU, women earn 9% less per hour than men. Clerical support workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of general and keyboard clerks (EU, 2025)
Degree 35%Vocational 43%General secondary 15%Basic schooling 7%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Significantly

AI could take on a large part of 1 of the 8 main tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.58 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Screening requests for meetings or appointments and helping to organize meetings0.76
Dealing with routine correspondence on their own initiative0.64
Checking, formatting and transcribing correspondence, minutes and reports from dictation, electronic documents or written drafts to conform to office standards, using typewriter, personal computer or other word processing equipment0.64
Screening and recording staff-members' leave and other entitlements0.56
Using various computer software packages including spreadsheets to provide administrative support0.55
Organizing and supervising filing systems0.55
Scanning, recording and distributing mail, correspondence and documents0.52
Dealing with incoming or outgoing mail0.41

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for secretaries (general). Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).