What does the administrative and customer support hiring market look like?
Most administrative and customer support positions tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have seen unemployment rates trending below the May 2025 national rate of 4.2%. For example, the rate reported for executive secretaries was 3.7% in Q1 2025, and the rates for dispatchers (3.4%), secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical and executive (2.5%), project management specialists (2.0%) and office and administrative professionals (1.6%) were even lower.
Top industries that are hiring for administrative and customer support roles include business and professional services, healthcare, and manufacturing and transportation—all of which rely heavily on efficient operations and strong customer engagement to stay competitive. In business and professional services, administrative professionals are essential for managing workflows, coordinating teams, and supporting client-facing functions. Healthcare continues to see high demand for support staff who can handle scheduling, patient communications, and medical records with precision and empathy. Meanwhile, manufacturing and transportation sectors depend on administrative and customer service roles to ensure smooth logistics, order processing, and customer satisfaction. As these industries grow and evolve, the need for skilled support professionals is only expected to increase.
Managers’ recruitment plans for the second half of 2025
Administrative and customer support managers face the challenge of securing top-tier talent in a strong job market, with 50% planning to hire for new and vacated roles and 41% hiring for vacated roles only.
However, 94% of administrative and customer support leaders said it’s already challenging to find skilled talent. At the same time, 60% of these leaders plan to increase their use of contract professionals through 2025.
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.
