Administrative Assistant

The employment outlook will be Good for administrative assistants (NOC 13110) in Nova Scotia for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Several positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
• High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.

This large occupation is found across all industries, so replacement of staff generates a lot of positions even though technology has lessened the need for many clerical tasks. The job market for this occupation has tightened in recent years throughout much of the province, improving prospects for applicants with little-to-no experience. Further, there has been an increase in remote hiring of admin assistants, providing individuals with employment opportunities beyond their geographic area. Even so, jobseekers may find that holding a post-secondary certificate is a requirement for many openings. Many employers have a preference for applicants with experience in a broader range of tasks, such as bookkeeping or the management of social media accounts, so applicants with backgrounds in these areas may have more success securing employment.

Here are some key facts about administrative assistants in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 5,050 people work in this occupation.
• Administrative assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 13%
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): 8%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 8%
  • Universities (NAICS 6113): 8%
  • Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 82% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 18% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 65% of administrative assistants work all year, while 35% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 44 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: less than 5% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: more than 95% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 23% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 12% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 41% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 18% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations