2025 UK Administrative, HR and Office Support Salary Guide and Market Trends

Hiring intentions for administrative and office support employees are on the up, with 30% of business leaders planning on expanding their permanent headcount, while 49% will be maintaining their headcount by backfilling any vacated positions.

Executive assistants, office managers and receptionists are most in demand, with financial services, tech and renewable energy the sectors hiring the most. And candidates with data analytics, CRM and project management skills are most likely to pique the interest of potential employers.

41% of administrative and office support employees would prioritise job security over salary, yet 46% would like to see their salary keeping up with the rising cost of living and consequently 27% would look for a new job should their pay expectations remain unmet.

And business leaders recognise the imminent need to upskill their staff with almost half of administrative and office support employees saying they never use or don’t often use gen AI tools. 51% of employers are already planning to upskill their admin talent via internal training programmes, while a further 39% are preparing to automate processes and reskill their workers.

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Enter your region to localise national average salaries. Starting salaries can vary greatly depending on a professional’s skills and experience, the company’s size, and demand for the role.

Human resources

Talent acquisition

Customer services

Senior support

Office support

Secretarial

Position title

25th Percentile

50th Percentile

75th Percentile

HR Director

75000

99000

127750

Head of HR

67500

74000

82500

HR Manager

51500

60250

68250

HR Project Manager (HRIS/Compensation and Benefits)

51000

67250

72250

Learning and Development Manager

46250

53000

61000

HR Business Partner

46250

53000

61500

HR Generalist

45000

53250

61500

HR Advisor

34250

38000

41000

HR Officer/Coordinator

27500

29750

33000

HR Administrator

26250

27000

28750

25th Percentile

The candidate has little or no prior experience in the position and is still developing relevant skills.

50th Percentile

The candidate has an average level of experience and has most of the necessary skills.

75th Percentile

The candidate has above-average experience, has most or all the necessary skills, and may have specialised qualifications

Top jobs in administrative and office support

Functional areas businesses are most likely to hire within admin and office support

Human Resources

Administrative

Customer service

Data entry

Top technical skills in administrative and office support

Data analytics

Expense processing

Project and programme management

Excel/PowerPoint

Multilingualism

Data analytics

Project and programme management

Cross-border experience

Top soft skills in administrative and office support

Critical thinking

Emotional intelligence

Problem solving

Creative thinking

Emotional intelligence

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Organisation

How much should I pay or earn?

Top certifications and degrees in administrative and office support

NVQ Business Admin

Secretarial diploma / Pitman

PRINCE 2

ISO9001

Top industries for administrative and office support specialists

Financial services

FMCG / E-commerce

Tech

Renewable energy

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The salaries listed in the Salary Guide from Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the UK and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary ranges.

The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognising that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.

Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on an online survey developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. During June and July 2024 Robert Half commissioned research amongst 1,500 respondents using an online data collection methodology. The respondents represent 500 hiring managers and 1,000 workers in finance and accounting, IT and technology, administrative and office support, marketing and creative, and the financial services industry. Respondents are drawn from a sample of SMEs to large private, publicly listed and public sector organisations across the UK.

Disclaimer The Salary Guide is solely for noncommercial use, and the copyright is the exclusive property of Robert Half. This guide cannot be reproduced or disseminated in any part without Robert Half’s written permission. ©2024 Robert Half Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer.