Occupation · SOC 43-9199
Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
All office and administrative support workers not listed separately.
Median wage
$46,040
$30,480–$71,840
Projected growth
-7.8%
Declining
Annual openings
-1,810
per year
Employed (US)
195,890
Job Zone —
Core skills
Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingService OrientationSocial PerceptivenessTime Management
Knowledge areas
Customer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageAdministrativeComputers and ElectronicsAdministration and Management
Technology & tools
Document management softwareOperating system softwareWeb page creation and editing softwareWord processing softwareMedical software
Representative tasks
Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to qResolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Customer inquiries and basic policy questions — respond to using scripted guidelines under direct supervisor oversight in a general office environment.Word processing software and document templates — create and format standard correspondence following established formatting protocols in an administrative support role.Written records and routine reports — review for completeness and accuracy under direct supervision in a clerical or back-office setting.Customer complaint logs — document and route to the appropriate department following prescribed escalation procedures in a service-oriented office.Operating system software and office productivity tools — navigate and perform basic file management tasks under guidance in a standard office workstation environment.Incoming phone calls and in-person requests — receive and direct using active listening techniques under close supervision in a front-office setting.Attendance, payroll, or shipping records — locate and retrieve to support verification tasks as assigned by a supervisor in an administrative office.Workplace policies and procedural manuals — read and apply to daily tasks under direction to ensure adherence to quality standards in an office environment.Appointment schedules and calendars — maintain and update accurately following instructions provided by senior staff in an administrative support capacity.Data entry fields and electronic forms — complete with attention to detail by following input guidelines under supervision in a records-management setting.
developing
Customer complaints of moderate complexity — resolve independently by applying knowledge of policies and procedures in a high-volume administrative or service office.Production, payroll, or shipping records — review and cross-reference routinely to verify details and detect discrepancies with reduced oversight in an operations support environment.Standard operating procedures and reference guides — interpret and apply to non-routine clerical situations in an administrative office with minimal supervision.Document management software — organize, retrieve, and maintain electronic records efficiently to support departmental workflow in a mid-size office setting.Written correspondence and internal reports — compose clearly and accurately using appropriate tone and grammar with limited editorial review in a business office environment.Colleagues experiencing procedural difficulties — provide guidance and practical advice drawn from on-the-job experience in a team-based administrative setting.Time-sensitive administrative tasks — prioritize and manage concurrently to meet deadlines reliably in a busy office support environment.Customer service interactions — adapt communication style based on social perceptiveness to address varied customer needs in a public-facing administrative role.Analytical or scientific software tools — use to compile and summarize operational data for routine reporting purposes in an administrative or compliance-focused office.Quality standards for administrative output — monitor own work against established benchmarks and self-correct errors before submission in a general office environment.
proficient
Escalated customer complaints and sensitive service issues — resolve autonomously by applying critical thinking and sound judgment in a complex, multi-department office environment.Office and administrative support staff — oversee daily work activities to ensure consistent adherence to quality standards and procedural compliance across an organizational unit.Production, payroll, and shipping reports — analyze trends and anomalies independently to surface actionable insights for management review in an operations or administrative context.Difficult or complex employee problems — counsel and coach staff through resolution by drawing on broad occupational knowledge in a supervisory administrative capacity.Web page creation and editing software — apply to update and maintain internal or public-facing content that supports administrative communication in an organizational setting.Cross-functional administrative workflows — coordinate and streamline to reduce redundancy and improve accuracy across multiple support functions in a mid-size organization.Policy and procedural documentation — draft, revise, and communicate updates to staff to ensure consistent application of standards in an administrative environment.Medical or specialized administrative software — configure and use to manage sensitive records in compliance with regulatory and organizational requirements in a specialized office setting.Performance issues and service gaps — identify root causes through observation and record analysis and recommend corrective actions in an administrative supervisory role.Oral and written communications with diverse stakeholders — tailor content and delivery to audience needs with clarity and professionalism across all levels of the organization.
advanced
Administrative support strategy and service standards — define and champion at the organizational level to align departmental operations with enterprise-wide quality goals.Office and administrative support workforce — mentor, develop, and evaluate to build long-term capability and succession depth across an organizational division.Complex or systemic customer service failures — lead root-cause investigations and implement sustainable corrective-action plans affecting multiple teams or locations.Organizational records management and compliance framework — design and enforce policies governing document retention, accuracy, and access in a regulated or high-stakes environment.Administrative technology portfolio — evaluate, select, and oversee implementation of document management, analytical, and productivity tools to modernize operational infrastructure.Cross-departmental administrative improvement initiatives — lead by applying analytical data from production, payroll, or logistics reports to drive measurable efficiency gains.Budget and resource allocation for administrative functions — oversee and optimize to ensure cost-effective staffing and tooling decisions at an organizational scale.Organizational policies and procedures — author and institutionalize to govern office operations, customer service protocols, and employee conduct across the enterprise.Escalation frameworks and quality assurance processes — architect and maintain to ensure consistent, high-integrity resolution of complex service and compliance issues organization-wide.Executive and board-level stakeholders — brief and advise on administrative performance metrics, workforce trends, and operational risks using synthesized data from across the organization.
Also known as
177 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Accuracy ExpertAcreage ReporterAddresserAdmissions CoordinatorAdvertising AssistantAircraft Log ClerkApartment LocatorAttendantAuction AssistantAutomobile Contract ClerkBank ClerkBank Vault AttendantBank Vault ClerkBank Vault CustodianBlood Bank Calendar Control ClerkBlueprint ReaderBoard WriterBoardmanBooking ClerkBraille TranscriberCar SealerCareer Guidance TechnicianCashierCatalogue CompilerCatalogue MakerCataloguerCharge Out ClerkCharterCheck ExaminerChurch Communications AdministratorCircular ClerkCircular StufferClaim InspectorClerical AdviserClerical AssignerClerical GraderClerical TranscriberClerk StenographerClipperClipping Marker