Emerging technologies are rapidly transforming administrative and customer support roles. While overall salary growth in these fields remains modest, professionals who develop proficiency with AI tools and data analytics are positioning themselves for higher compensation and greater marketability.

At the same time, flexibility remains a priority for job seekers—and many are turning down job offers that don’t include hybrid work options or nontraditional hours. As competition for the most highly skilled support professionals intensifies, more managers are offering creative compensation packages that enhance work-life balance to attract the talent they need.

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View salaries by job category

The salaries below default to national averages. Select a job category and city to find figures for a specific market. Starting compensation can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our compensation data in 3 levels: low, mid and high.

Administrative

Customer Support

Fundraising

Office Services

Job Title

Low

Mid

High

Senior Executive Assistant

76750

84500

97250

Executive Assistant

58250

70250

86750

Administrative Project Manager

67750

82750

97500

Office Manager

55250

60500

66750

Senior Administrative Assistant

48000

53000

60750

Administrative Assistant

42000

46500

52750

Entry-Level Administrative Assistant

38500

41750

43750

Project Assistant/Coordinator

38750

46500

51500

Legal Administrative Assistant

42000

48000

54250

Marketing Assistant

40750

45500

51500

Property Management Assistant

39750

44750

50500

Sales Assistant

40250

44500

48500

Front Desk Coordinator

37750

40500

45500

Receptionist

36250

39000

40750

Low

The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.

Mid

The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.

High

The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.

2026 Administrative and Customer Support Compensation Trends

Year-over-year salary gains

+2.5%

projected average increase across administrative and customer support roles

+3.0%

for customer support roles due to the need for skilled agents to handle multichannel interactions and grow brand loyalty

+2.6%

for executive, administrative and property management assistants as they take on more strategic, tech-driven tasks

The value of advanced skills

83% of administrative and customer support leaders typically offer higher salaries to candidates with specialized skills than to those without them in the same role.

Customer experience

Team management

AI-driven data management

Data analysis

As organizations adopt new technologies and raise the bar for customer experience, operational excellence is more critical than ever.

standard

of administrative and customer support leaders say they are willing to negotiate a higher starting salary with a candidate if the role supports a critical business need. of administrative and customer support leaders say they are willing to negotiate a higher starting salary with a candidate if the role supports a critical business need.

Managing pay expectations

76% of administrative and customer support leaders express concern about keeping pace with candidates’ pay expectations. Many recognize they must prioritize strategies that address job seekers’ needs and streamline the hiring process.

Increasing starting salaries

Including salary ranges in job descriptions

Adding new benefits and perks

Flexibility is a key consideration for many candidates today, especially in administrative and customer support roles. Three-quarters of professionals in this field say they’re most interested in roles that offer flexible work arrangements.

Hiring managers who may not be able to compete on salary alone can stand out by emphasizing hybrid work options and adjustable schedules as part of their recruitment strategy.

standard

of administrative and customer support job seekers say positions with hybrid work arrangements are their top preference. of administrative and customer support job seekers say positions with hybrid work arrangements are their top preference.

The need for skilled contract talent

When budgets don’t allow hiring for new permanent roles, many organizations engage contract professionals to help close skills gaps and manage heavy workloads, and to serve as a trial period for potential future hires.

Bringing in contract talent can also help managers better allocate resources because they’re paying for specialized expertise only when it’s needed for specific projects.

Top certifications, industries, emerging roles

Candidates with in-demand certifications like those listed below can often command higher starting salaries, notably in sectors experiencing active hiring and strong demand for specialized skills.

Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP)

Google Workspace Certification

Many companies in the following industries are willing to pay more for the right combination of skills and experience. Likewise, these industries are providing greater opportunities for career advancement and salary growth.

Construction

Education

Healthcare

Professional services

Below are a few administrative and customer support positions gaining traction in 2026. As these and other new roles evolve and grow in demand, setting competitive salaries can be challenging—prompting 28% of leaders to turn to recruiters for guidance.

Business intelligence assistant: Supports data gathering and dashboard maintenance for decision making, works closely with analysts, and uses data visualization tools and business intelligence platforms

Customer education specialist: Creates and delivers onboarding content, product tutorials and webinars to empower users; combines product or website guidance with problem-solving support

Data annotation project assistant: Oversees the coordination of human-led labeling and verification of training data for AI models in natural language processing, computer vision or speech

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The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process so that our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Learn more about our methodology.

Non-salary data referenced in the Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.