What can industry employment data tell an executive support hiring team?

Abstract

The May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release estimated 459,910 executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants nationally [1]. Industry tables can show where the occupation is employed and where it is unusually concentrated, but employment counts do not measure candidate quality, local availability, retention, or an employer’s specific support model [2][6][7]. Hiring teams should combine industry context with task requirements and local labor evidence.

Methodology

This article compares national OEWS estimates, occupational outlook and projection tables, ORS job requirements, O*NET descriptions, and Census industry methodology [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. OEWS employment, concentration, and wage estimates are treated as distinct measures. The review avoids converting national estimates into a public rate card or a promise about one market.

Count and concentration answer different questions

A large industry employment count can reflect the size of an industry, while a high concentration indicates that an occupation represents a larger share of that industry’s jobs than it does nationally [2][6][7]. Neither measure alone says how difficult a particular vacancy will be to fill. A useful brief labels the statistic, reference period, geography, and denominator.

Occupation codes create useful but imperfect boundaries

OEWS and O*NET use the 43-6011 occupation to organize estimates and task information [2][8][9]. Internal titles such as chief of staff, personal assistant, business partner, or operations coordinator may sit outside that boundary or combine different duties. Before comparing data, map the actual role to tasks rather than relying on title resemblance.

Industry context changes the support profile

The same occupation can face different terminology, stakeholders, confidentiality, schedules, and regulatory dependencies across industries. ORS supplies occupation-level requirements, while Census business data explains industry establishments through a different statistical program [5][10]. Those datasets can provide context but should not be blended into a synthetic hiring score.

Use the evidence in workforce planning

Hiring teams can record the target occupation, essential duties, industry knowledge that is genuinely required, geographic scope, remote-task fit, experience boundary, and backup plan. Compare applicant-flow and time-to-qualified-slate outcomes against the chosen labor-market evidence. If a requirement produces little qualified interest, test whether it is job-related or merely familiar.

Limitations and responsible interpretation

OEWS is an employer survey and its estimates carry sampling and nonsampling error [6][7]. Projections address long-run occupational change, not the timing of a single hire [4]. Industry concentration is therefore a planning input, not proof of scarcity, quality, retention, or compensation for a specific position.

Key findings

  • OEWS estimated 459,910 people in occupation 43-6011 nationally in May 2025 [1].
  • Employment volume and industry concentration are different measures [2][6][7].
  • Task mapping is necessary because internal titles do not always match occupational codes [8][9].
  • Industry evidence is most useful when paired with local applicant and qualification data.
  • National estimates do not prove the availability or fit of candidates for one employer.

Sources

  1. National Employment and Wage Data by Occupation, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  2. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  3. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  4. Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  5. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Requirements, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  6. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Overview, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  7. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Handbook of Methods, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  8. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants: Details, O*NET OnLine
  9. O*NET Data Collection Program, O*NET Resource Center
  10. County Business Patterns Methodology, U.S. Census Bureau

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