Hiring for new permanent roles

Hiring for vacated permanent roles

Facing challenges finding skilled talent

Managers list their strategic priorities for 2024

Administrative and customer support teams will be focused on: Employee training and development Customer satisfaction Sustainability Operational efficiency Data security and compliance

Administrative and customer support professionals in highest demand

The following positions are in the top 25% of administrative and customer support roles in demand, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings, Robert Half placements and information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 
Administrative assistant Customer service specialist Data entry specialist Executive assistant Front desk coordinator Project assistant/coordinator Receptionist Senior data entry specialist Learn more about the top roles in demand
Areas where they are most likely to use contract talent: of administrative and customer support managers plan to engage more contract professionals in the second half of 2024.

Current unemployment rates

From Current Population Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 5, 2024. Percentages reflect unemployment rates for select positions that were near or below the national average at the end of second quarter 2024. 1.7% — Office and administrative support workers 2.0% — Receptionists 2.2% — Administrative services managers 2.3% — Office and administrative support supervisors 2.5% — Data entry specialists 3.3%  — Customer service representatives 3.4%  — Secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical and executive) 3.5% — Executive secretaries and administrative assistants
Over 1 million new positions from more than 8,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including 100,000-plus placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 450 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, healthcare support, and human resources professions.  Surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and workers from small (1-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-10,000 or more employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.