The Administrative Assistant is ranked the number two most in-demand role in Canada for 2026.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Because at the same time, the press keeps telling us this role is disappearing.
It isn’t.
The research from Randstad Canada says this:
“As repetitive tasks become automated, the value of administrative assistants, office administrators and receptionists now lies in problem-solving, digital fluency and their central role in human coordination and organisational culture, particularly in healthcare and educational institutions.”
So interesting.
This demand is not about tasks.
It is about human coordination.
And this is why education and healthcare see it first.
These are sectors where coordination failure has real consequences.
Where complexity is constant.
Where people move through systems under pressure.
Where emotional intelligence, safeguarding, trust, and judgement matter.
You can automate tasks here.
You cannot automate coordination.
Someone still has to connect people, information, priorities, and processes.
Someone still has to spot problems before they become failures.
Someone still has to hold organisational memory and stabilise culture when demand exceeds capacity.
That someone is very often an administrative professional.
So no, this is not a disappearing role.
It is a role being repositioned.
And being ranked number two is not an anomaly.
It is what happens when organisations finally understand what they need.
The data is catching up.
The question is whether organisational design will follow.
