AI reshapes secretarial jobs as assistants adapt to survive
AI can now handle meeting notes, drafting and scheduling in seconds, leaving assistants like Deanna Danger to prove their value through judgment and adaptability.
Deanna Danger, an executive assistant at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, has worked in administrative roles since 2003 and began using AI in 2022, learning through experimentation and from other assistants. She now uses it to take notes in meetings so she can participate instead of typing every word.
That shift lands in a profession that has been shrinking for two decades. About 3.5 million people worked as secretaries and administrative assistants in 2004; by 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show the occupation had 3,453,100 jobs, with a median annual wage of $47,460. The agency projects little or no change in employment from 2024 to 2034, but still expects about 358,300 openings a year, mostly because of retirements and workers leaving the field.
The pressure is sharper in the narrower category of secretaries and administrative assistants except legal, medical and executive. O*NET OnLine, using Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, estimates employment at 1,944,000 in 2024 and 1,913,200 in 2034, a 2% decline, even as annual openings are still expected to average 202,800.
AI is accelerating the change by stripping out the most repetitive tasks first. Tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot can draft emails, summarize meetings and help with scheduling in seconds, which is why assistants are increasingly being judged not just on speed but on whether they can use technology to free themselves for higher-value work. Danger’s experience shows the adjustment underway: the goal is no longer just to keep up with the workload, but to use AI to stay in the room and do more of the work that depends on judgment, context and live participation.
The occupation remains widespread because it is concentrated in large service sectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says about half of all secretaries and administrative assistants work in healthcare, education, and professional, scientific and technical services. Data USA counts 106,880 medical secretaries and administrative assistants in 2024, with 92.3% women, an average yearly wage of $45,288 and estimated 10-year job growth of 4.15%.
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