City PA’s see salaries soar sky high

PAs in London are earning an average of £11,000 more a year than some of their regional counterparts says new report by Office Angels and mysalarychecker.com.

The average salary of a London PA was £32,205 in May, while the average salary for a similar role in the South West, the area recording the lowest average salary for this role, was just £20,879.

In a new monthly report from Office Angels, which looks to measure average salaries across the permanent and temporary market for administrative and non professional services roles, PAs and Office Managers recorded the highest average annual salaries for permanent positions (£29,490 and £29,568 respectively). These roles also led the annual increases in average salaries (up 4.42% and 3.49% respectively).

In contrast, Receptionists have one of the lowest average salaries across permanent roles (£17,208). In May, Customer Service roles recorded the greatest annual falls in average salaries (down 6.41%).

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In the temporary market, it is Office Managers who currently command the highest hourly rate (an average of £17 per hour), followed by PAs (averaging £12 per hour). At the opposite end of the scale, Receptionists earned the lowest hourly rate (£7 per hour) in May.

David Clubb, Managing Director of Office Angels, commented:

“Despite the current climate, we have seen a continued demand for PA roles, particularly in London. While the average salaries may prove a surprise for some, the duties of today’s PA extend far beyond a secretarial role and the salaries that are being commanded reflect this.

“We are increasingly seeing applications for PA roles from those with a university degree or considerable business experience and this is a trend we expect to see continue. A PA will often find themselves covering elements of HR, marketing and project management offering candidates a varied and challenging career choice. High-flying executive assistants can command up to £45,000 and in certain sectors, particularly in areas such as Banking and Financial Services, which are typically found in London, the most experienced PAs can earn up to £60,000.”