Salaries for PAs and adminstrators are still quite stable, but be realistic
There’s finally a glimmer of hope in the recruitment sector for secretarial and support workers. Those in the know say the job market is looking up, which means all you PAs who’ve been ripping up your CVs in frustration now have something to fight for.
What’s going on?
After months of job freezes and redundancy cuts, there’s been a significant increase in appointments in the financial sector as well as within commerce and industry, with both permanent and temp jobs available.
According to Nick Dutton, of recruitment firm Robert Walters, there’s now competition in the marketplace, whereas in previous quarters small businesses were doing most of the hiring.
“Some companies see it as a great time to attract top staff when bigger institutions don’t hire,” Dutton says. “But some of those bigger institutions are now starting to hire again.”
Luckily, if you’re a competitive candidate, you’ll be able to pick between the two.
The right skills
There’s no need to be afraid of being overqualified. In a time when saving money is vital, companies are more than happy to take you on and wring out what they can, so it’s important to have skills beyond your duties. Being a PA is no longer restricted to front-of-house responsibilities, so if you can learn a new language or the dynamics of office management, you’ll be a better candidate.
Opportunity knocks
Salaries for PAs and adminstrators are still quite stable (see box), but be realistic about bonuses. “If people assume bonuses are going to be absolutely spectacular, I think that’s a bit misguided given all of the press that’s out at the moment,” says Dutton.
What companies can offer instead are more opportunities. “Candidates who are highly motivated, and highly driven and demonstrate good skill sets are the ones finding more in the marketplace,” says Dutton.
The Future
Although there’s no guarantee the job market will keep improving, there’s also no major signs of it declining. Dutton says there will be a natural slowdown in permanent job opportunities in December and January, but this will be offset with the standard increase in holiday temp jobs.
» See tntjobs.co.uk and robertwalters.com
