Demand remains high for skilled administrative and customer support professionals as we move further into 2025. Because of the ongoing talent squeeze and other challenging hiring trends, employers must work harder to recruit and retain top talent for both permanent and contract roles if they want to meet their goals in the months ahead.
As a manager, knowing the most in-demand positions allows you to better compete for promising candidates while reinforcing your retention efforts for roles at greatest risk of turnover. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can help. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the report.
2025 In-Demand Administrative and Customer Support Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the administrative and customer support hiring market look like?
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate for office and administrative workers was 1.3% during Q4 2024, and the rate for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants was 2%. Other administrative and customer support positions with unemployment rates trending well below the 4.1% national average in December include project management specialists (2.3%) and secretaries and administrative assistants outside of the legal, medical and executive fields (2.6%).
Top industries that are hiring for administrative and customer support roles include business and professional services, healthcare, and manufacturing and transportation.
What are the major hiring trends in the administrative and customer support hiring market?
Looking ahead to 2025, forward-thinking administrative and customer support leaders are investing in technology and people and striving for a balance between maintaining service levels and modernizing processes. Through strategic hiring, leaders are looking to enhance customer satisfaction, quality assurance, technology upgrades, cybersecurity and data privacy, and protecting sensitive information in an increasingly digital world.
As the business landscape evolves, so have the roles within administrative and customer support teams. Employers are seeking candidates with relevant experience—including traditional administrative know-how, digital fluency and problem solving expertise—as well as agile team members capable of managing routine operations and driving innovation. Administrative staff are now taking on expanded responsibilities, including project management, budgeting, HR tasks and driving employee engagement. Customer support staff are navigating complex customer data confidently, blending technical know-how with interpersonal skills and integrating AI tools to work more efficiently.
Regular upskilling of existing staff and a keen eye for diverse skill sets in new hires have become crucial.
Managers planning increased recruitment in first half of 2025
Administrative and customer support managers are bracing for the challenges of securing top-tier talent in an improving job market, with 52% planning to hire for new and vacated roles and 43% hiring for vacated roles only. Chief reasons these hiring managers plan to staff up in the first half of 2025 are company growth (59%), followed by employee turnover (49%) and new projects (45%).
However, 83% of administrative and customer support leaders said it’s already challenging to find skilled talent. At the same time, 53% of these leaders plan to increase their use of contract professionals through 2025.
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How to compete for administrative and customer support talent in a challenging hiring environment
In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top administrative and customer support professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the administrative and customer support fields, 80% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 11% for hybrid and 9% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's administrative and customer support professionals—and another way to compete for skilled talent. In particular, candidates see working with AI as an opportunity to develop highly sought skills that can enhance their career trajectory.
And don’t forget how important it is to streamline your hiring processes. Delays often result in losing top candidates to your competitors.
Beyond these internal measures, partnering with specialized recruiters can help you identify and access high-potential candidates who may not actively be job hunting.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
