2025 Administrative and Customer Support Job Market Outlook

Strong communication and organizational abilities remain essential for administrative and customer support roles, but today’s professionals are also often expected to navigate CRM platforms, support AI and automation initiatives, and contribute to cross-functional process improvements, among other responsibilities. Finding candidates with digital fluency and a strong service mindset is a challenge for employers, and many report various hiring hurdles. 

Many organizations are turning to contract professionals to meet immediate business needs and bridge skills gaps. They’re also hiring talent for roles that merge classic support duties with tech-focused responsibilities—for example, an executive assistant who not only coordinates meetings and travel but also supports workflow automation efforts across teams. These hybrid professionals help boost operational efficiency respond faster to shifting priorities, and provide connected customer experiences. 

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Administrative and customer support leaders report it takes just over 6 weeks to hire for permanent roles.  

Robert Half’s research also suggests many companies are receiving a high volume of applications, making it harder to identify candidates with the requisite skills.

of leaders said evaluating applications and determining who to interview are their greatest hiring challenges. of leaders said evaluating applications and determining who to interview are their greatest hiring challenges.

Hiring for strategic priorities: contract and permanent staff 

Administrative and customer support leaders shared the top strategic initiatives for which they will hire more staff through the end of the year.

Technology upgrades or integration

Improving time to resolution

Data analytics for performance management

Data privacy

Data analytics for performance management

Customer satisfaction

52% of administrative and customer support leaders reported skills gaps within their department, and 51% of those leaders said the impact of those gaps has increased in the past year. 

In response, many companies consider a combination of options for addressing these gaps: engaging contract talent for a specific project or short-term support, seeking permanent hires with specialized experience, and upskilling employees.

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Almost all administrative and customer support leaders plan to add new staff or at least maintain headcount in the second half of 2025 to support top business priorities. Yet 94% said it’s challenging to find the talent they need in the current market. 

of administrative and customer support leaders are hiring for new permanent positions. of administrative and customer support leaders are hiring for new permanent positions.

are hiring only for vacated permanent positions. are hiring only for vacated permanent positions.

Hiring plans: contract roles

60% of administrative and customer support leaders said they’re increasing their use of contract talent in the second half of 2025. They also shared what they view as the greatest value in engaging these professionals.

Cost savings compared with hiring permanent employees

Access to specialized skills or experience

Flexibility in scaling workforce

Reducing burnout among existing staff

Administrative and customer support professionals in highest demand

The following positions are in the top 25% of administrative and customer support roles in demand, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings and Robert Half placements:

Administrative assistant

Customer experience specialist

Customer service specialist

Executive assistant

Front desk coordinator

Office manager

Office specialist

Project assistant/coordinator

Article: Learn more about the top roles in demand

Make sense of shifting job market dynamics

Our Labor Market Overview connects the dots between U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, job postings and hiring trends, giving you a clearer view of employment shifts, workforce turnover and where opportunities are growing.

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The surveys cited was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives and hiring managers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000+ employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the U.S.

Over 4 million new positions from more than 8,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including 340,000-plus placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 450 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, healthcare support, and human resources professions. 