Late last year, I had the privilege of hosting a roundtable of leaders in Birmingham, UK to explore the future of the administrative profession.
Those conversations, combined with powerful data from the PA Forum community, have shaped a new white paper,
and the results are both sobering and energising.
The findings highlight three urgent realities:
• Structure is broken. 65% of professionals say there are no clear career paths, and 84% report their organisations have no succession planning in place .
• AI is the game-changer. Over 70% see it as transformative for their role, yet nearly 60% say they lack organisational support to build the necessary skills .
• The role is still misunderstood. Confusion around the Chief of Staff pathway and concerns over Virtual Assistants all point to a deeper issue. The profession is still poorly defined in many workplaces .
But here’s the good news: this isn’t just a report about challenges,
it’s a call to action. The profession has never been clearer about what it needs:
• A structured framework for growth.
• The confidence and skills to seize AI.
• A united voice to advocate for the modern role.
What I love most about this report is that it doesn’t just diagnose the problems. It sets out practical community-led steps,
demanding clarity, championing mentorship, reframing the narrative, and actively educating executives about the profession’s value.
This is about building the future we all want for our profession, not waiting for someone else to define it.
You can download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ej9y2K6m
And by the way, we are working on the next iteration of the Global Skills Matrix, to provide that very framework and clarity the profession is demanding. Your input is essential. If you haven’t yet completed the survey, please add your voice and help shape the future of our profession.
