In September 2022 we published a blog on Executive Assistant salaries. In that blog, we tracked some of the changes we’ve seen over the last several years and refer to an increase of 20% in the average salary for an EA to the CEO over the last 5 years.
If we go even further back when we published an exhaustive survey of salaries for Executive Assistants to the C-Suite, we can see that the average salary has increased by 60% since 2013.
What Does This Mean for the Executive Assistant Salary Range In 2023?
According to the data we’ve collected over the past decade, we expect top level Executive Assistant salaries to continue to climb in 2023. Let’s take a look at our final data for an average executive assistant salary in 2022 compared to 2021:
|
AVERAGE |
MEAN |
|
|
2022 |
$114,589 |
$120,000 |
|
2021 |
$104,196 |
$100,000 |
This salary data is based on actual placements we have made for C-Suite level Executive Assistants across the USA. Salaries vary greatly depending on the geographic area and our averages cannot be compared to the averages you may see on Indeed, Payscale, or Glassdoor. Their data usually includes salaries in low-paying industries, low-cost-of-living areas, and at lower levels of EA responsibility. In addition to location and responsibility, salary can also vary by level (e.g. Executive Assistant, Senior Executive Assistant, Executive Assistant to CEO, Sr.Office Manager).
Here’s why we think salaries will continue to increase in 2023 for the very best executive assistants. The first two of these factors, in our mind, are high probability factors and the third is subject to review as the year progresses:
- The increasing importance of the job
- Shortage of required skills in an increasingly complex and evolving role
- Economic forces such as unemployment and other job data
The Increasing Importance of the role of Executive Assistants to the C-Suite
Contrary to predictions, the role of a high-level Executive Assistant has become even more critical in the last decade. Doomsayers predicted that the EA role would become almost obsolete and migrate into the arms of tech-savvy executives who would find it easy to do their own administrative work. But, take it from us who have been in the business of placing Executive Assistants for fifteen years: at the most senior levels, exactly the opposite has occurred.
With today’s fast-paced, technologically complicated, global, and intertwined business world, it is hard for executives to stay on top of it all. The need for talented Executive Assistants to help with this overload has increased, not diminished. The very best and most experienced EAs are in high demand as evidenced by the data. And the compensation required to attract and retain a good Executive Assistant has correspondingly increased.
Skills That Are In High Demand
The skills required to be a successful EA at the C-Suite level have increased exponentially. As a result of flat organizations, remote workforces, and cultural shifts in leadership styles from a top-down, autocratic approach to a servant leadership approach, the requirement for excellent communication skills among EAs to CEOs has increased. The same forces have also demanded that C-level EAs have the technical aptitude to learn new collaboration methods, scheduling applications, and project management tools. The pace of change also requires both the skills and the temperament to adapt rapidly to evolving situations. Executive Assistants who fit this profile are in high demand and low supply.
Economic Forces: Impacts on the Candidate Pool and Executive Assistant Salary Range
Pent-up demand from Covid, the great resignation, and business expansion led to salary increases across the board, including for executive assistants, in 2022. Where we will be going in 2023 is anyone’s guess. Stock markets are down, whether or not we are in a recession is a matter of debate, and “Loud Layoffs” especially at very large companies are trumpeted in the press.
Despite all of this gloomy economic data, the streets are not paved with talented Executive Assistants. Many sectors remain resilient and the unemployment rate continued to be low at year-end, remaining at 3.5%.
At C-Suite Assistants, we’ve focused exclusively on C-level Executive Assistant Staffing and Recruitment for over 20 years, and we recruit executive assistants across the United States. Our highly experienced recruiters know the market very well. So, if you are considering hiring an executive assistant for your C-Suite executives in 2023 and want to benchmark compensation, give us a call at 646-214-7475 or reach out via email at info@csuiteassistants.com.
