Skills and Attributes in Demand
Regional Trends

Organizations that made staff reductions are realizing they can no longer operate efficiently without hiring critical administrative personnel. Experienced executive and administrative assistants are in particularly strong demand. Companies also are adding more human resources personnel to keep pace with hiring requirements.

The following trends are impacting the employment environment for administrative professionals:

• Growing difficulty in finding skilled candidates – As locating top administrative staff becomes a challenge, companies are casting a wider net in their recruitment efforts by tapping their networks, offering employee referral bonuses and turning to specialized staffing firms for help.
• Healthcare expansion and changes – The healthcare industry continues to grow, creating demand for administrative professionals with specialized skills and industry experience. Support staff also are needed to help with changes resulting from healthcare reform and the continuing move toward electronic medical records.
• Longer hiring process – To ensure they find just the right people for their teams, managers are spending more time screening prospective new hires. It's not uncommon for applicants to participate in multiple rounds of interviews before a decision is made. Many organizations also are bringing workers in on a temporary basis to assess their job performance before extending offers of full-time employment.