One of the most striking things for me about the 2025 EA Salary Survey published in September by Alicia Fairclough and Yvette Lamb (née Pearson) was how consistently career progression emerged as a deciding factor in whether assistants stay or go.
Across all four regions, the pattern was clear.
In the United States, opportunities for progression directly influenced whether an EA planned to move on within 12 months. When assistants could not see a future, they started planning one elsewhere.
In the United Kingdom, the story was the same. Lack of progression increased the intention to leave, and, interestingly, those in the office five days a week, who were also the lowest-paid group, were the most likely to be job-hunting. A salary mismatch, combined with no pathway, was a clear push factor.
In Australia, 17.2% of respondents planned to change jobs specifically because there was nowhere for them to go within their current company.
And while salaries, particularly for hybrid workers, were on the rise, that increase had no impact on intention to leave when progression was missing. Money could not compensate for a dead end.
In Canada, 13% were preparing to move on for the same reason, with a notable 40% drop in salary satisfaction among those intending to leave. Not because the salary changed, but because the perception of fairness and the future changed.
Four countries. Four datasets. One message.
Assistants do not leave because they lack loyalty. They leave because they cannot see a pathway that recognises the scale, complexity, and strategic nature of the work they do.
If organisations want to retain their administrative talent, the answer is structure. Clarity. Progression.
A visible future keeps people.
The absence of one sends them straight to the job market.
This is the moment for companies to stop saying assistants are essential and start building career pathways that prove it.
The NEW Global Skills Matrix 2026, which, for the first time, includes AI, hybrid working, digital first, and a full competencies matrix, will be published early in the new year.
