The role of the administrative assistant has expanded as businesses run leaner, according to a survey released today by Manpower, a division of ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN).

Almost all respondents, 98 percent, said administrative roles have changed from five to 10 years ago. And most agree that replacing a good administrative assistant is no easy task: 35 percent said it would be “challenging” to find a good administrative assistant, 50 percent said it would be “somewhat difficult” and 15 percent said it would be “easy.”

“Our clients are running their businesses with leaner teams, and they are asking more from their administrative talent,” said Jorge Perez, Manpower senior vice president, North America. “The evolution of the role is positive and an opportunity for people to grow in their careers, but many employers neglect to evolve their talent strategies along with the job descriptions. Employers need to be more focused than ever on talent strategy because administrative assistants with higher-level skills are more difficult to attract and retain.”

Employers said a contemporary administrative assistant's role now includes:

• Presentation assembly – 63 percent
• Client communication – 59 percent
• Vendor management – 49 percent
• Metrics reporting – 40 percent
• Team engagement – 40 percent

The online survey was conducted in from March 10 to March 18 and included 562 employers.