Gairmeacha Cléireachais

Administrative occupations account for 7.5% of Ireland’s workforce, and the area is highly stable, with very little overall change in the numbers employed between 2011 and 2016. 151,000 persons are employed in the sector, with just under 45% of that number working in goverment admin occupations (36,200 employed) or as personal assistants & secretaries (30,500 employed).

Figure 1: Data from National Skills Bulletin, 2017. SOLAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit.

In specific occupations there was relative growth, office managers, records & library clerks and receptionists all grew by annual averages between 4 and 7%. On the other hand, administrative occupations in government, which are directly affected by changes in Goverment policy, declined by an annual average of 3.2 from 2011 to 2016.

There were a high number of vacancies advertised for Administrative and Secretarial Occupations in 2016, but most of the roles advertised were replacing departing staff, rather than an expansion in employment in these occupations, as seen from the low growth rates.

Following from the National Skills Bulletin, 2017
Key points for selected Administrative and Secretarial Occupations

• In 2016, there were approximately 151,000 persons employed in administrative and secretarial occupations, representing 7.5% of Ireland’s workforce
• Between 2011 and 2016, while overall employment remained virtually static; the change in employment varied by occupation; the strongest growth rates were observed for office managers & supervisors (6.4% on average annually), records & library clerks (4.4% on average annually), and receptionists (4.2% on average annually); the largest absolute increase was observed for other administrators; in contrast, the strongest decline (expressed in both rates and levels) was observed for government administrative occupations (3.2% on average annually)
• Between 2015 and 2016, employment expanded by 1.8% (2,600); the strongest increases were observed for receptionists and government administrative occupations
• At least 68% of those employed in each occupation was aged 25-54; the age profile of employed receptionists was the youngest, with 10% aged 15-24; in contrast, PAs & other secretaries were the most mature, with 30% aged 55 or older (above the national average)
• The share of persons employed in administrative and secretarial occupations who had attained higher secondary/FET qualifications was well above the national average (55% compared with 38%); in contrast, the overall share with third level qualifications was below the national average (39% compared with 47%); however, the share was above the national average for records & library clerks (51%) and office managers & supervisors (57%)
• The majority of persons employed in each occupation was female
• The share of persons in part-time employment was above the national average for PAs & other secretaries (40%), receptionists (48%), and other administrators (31%).

Shortage Indicators

Vacancies occurred frequently in 2016 for administrative and secretarial roles. However, most administrative occupations experienced declines in employment, with evidence of a significant share of job openings occurring due to replacement (over 10,000 exits from employment to inactivity) and turnover (almost 12,000 transitions between employers). There were over 10,000 persons classified as job ready job seekers in April 2017 who had previously been employed in administrative occupations, across all education levels. In addition, there were over 4,200 QQI awards in business and administration made to FET learners in 2016, mostly at NFQ level 5. Supply is estimated to be sufficient to meet any current demand and no shortages exist at present.