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Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

Also called: Administrative Aide, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Associate, Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Secretary, Administrative Specialist

Median pay in Greater Boston
$85,260
$40.99/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
11,290
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−2.3%
1,650 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
Less than 5 years of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$61,400$74,630$85,260$101,520$126,940

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
  • Make travel arrangements for executives.
  • Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
  • Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
  • Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
  • Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure84 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 75
  • Language-model AIOE 78
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 99

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, and AI tools are already in substantial use for it. Tools can help draft documents, reports, and memos, and can help with scheduling and travel planning. Federal projections expect fewer of these jobs as software takes over routine back-office work, and Massachusetts is projected to shrink 2.3% from 2024 to 2034. Tasks that involve judgment, trust, and working closely with executives are harder for AI tools to take over.

Likely to change

  • Drafting memos, letters, and reports
  • Scheduling meetings and booking travel

Still relies on people

  • Earning an executive's trust and confidence
  • Coordinating people, budgets, and personnel issues

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as firms increase the use of computer software, enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, to automate routine back-office functions, such as document preparation.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

1 program near Boston

Related occupations

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