Secretary
Secretaries keep an office's correspondence, schedules and records in order so the people around them can get on with their work.
- Median salary
- $84,600
4.3%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 22,700
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- −5.7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- High
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Secretaries work in an office, usually supporting a manager or a small team, rather than running one executive's diary from morning to night the way a personal assistant does. Their work sits close to contracts, invoices and client files, so most employers expect discretion with confidential material. Construction firms, professional services practices and other service businesses are the main employers, and a secretary often becomes the person who knows how that industry's paperwork works.
How much do secretarys earn?
The median full-time salary for a secretary is $84,600 per annum, before tax, up $17,900 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the industry and on how much responsibility the role carries, so a secretary supporting a team in a large professional services firm usually earns more than one in a small business. Some employers pay above the award through an enterprise agreement, and specialised roles in law or medicine sit higher because of the knowledge they require. Moving into an executive assistant or office manager role is the usual way earnings grow from here.
What does a secretary do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Managing calendars and scheduling meetings around other people's availability
- Drafting and formatting letters, reports and presentations for a manager to sign off
- Processing invoices, expense claims and other recurring paperwork
- Screening calls and emails, and deciding what needs a manager's attention first
- Maintaining filing systems and records so a document can be found when it is needed
What skills do secretarys need?
Employers look for , backed by Microsoft Office Suite fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
Software and tools
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Email platforms
- Calendar management software
- Document management systems
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Stakeholder management
- Time and deadline management
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 22,700 people work as secretarys in Australia, and employment is projected to decline 5.7% over the decade to 2035. That's a real decline, worth weighing carefully before training into the role.
How do you become a secretary?
Here's the path most secretarys take, step by step.
- 1Finish secondary school
A Year 12 certificate is the usual entry point, and for 46% of secretaries it is the highest qualification they hold. Employers look for accurate written English, reliable spelling and confident keyboard skills, so subjects that involve writing and computing help.
- 2Learn the office software
Most of the job runs through Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, plus whatever calendar and document system the employer uses. A short course at TAFE covers this, and the Certificate III in Business (BSB30120) (Administration) or Certificate IV in Business (BSB40120) Administration adds a recognised qualification.
- 3Start in a junior office role
Receptionist, administration officer and data entry roles are the common ways in, and they are paid. From there you take on more correspondence, scheduling and records work, which is what turns the job into a secretary role. No licence or registration is required to work as a secretary in Australia.
- 4Add a diploma if you want to move up
A Diploma of Business (BSB50120) (Administration) or a similar qualification supports the step to office manager or executive assistant, where the work shifts towards managing people, budgets and processes. It is not needed for the secretarial role itself.
- 5Specialise in a field that appeals
Legal secretaries learn legal terminology and court document formats, while medical secretaries learn medical terminology and practice software. Both usually mean a certificate or on-the-job training once you are already working in that field.
Ready to apply as a secretary?
Whether you're working toward becoming a secretary or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a secretary move to?
Moving into Company Secretary typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $24,800 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Secretary Secretaries may aspire to company secretary roles, but the move requires a degree and governance qualifications to handle board and compliance duties. | +$24,800 | 24% | requalify |
| Personal Assistant Secretaries already handle diaries and correspondence, so they move easily into personal assistant roles supporting individual managers.Known move | +$10,700 | 83% | minimal |
| Executive Assistant Secretaries can step up to executive assistant with extra training in executive support, taking on higher-level diary and travel management.Known move | +$10,700 | 45% | short course |
| Office Manager Secretaries bring office coordination and records experience to managing an office, though the step usually needs further study in management.Known move | +$5,400 | 36% | reskill |
| Legal Secretary Secretaries can specialise as legal secretaries, applying their administrative skills to legal documents and procedures, though they need to learn legal terminology.Known move | +$0 | 29% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a secretary?
The typical secretary is 55 years old; 95% are women, 39% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 55
- Median age
- 95%
- Female share
- 39%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a secretary?
The job settles into a weekly rhythm: quiet stretches of filing and paperwork, then bursts when a deadline, a tender or a board meeting lands. Secretaries who enjoy it tend to like being the person who knows where everything is and keeping other people's days running, and they are comfortable switching tasks when a manager walks in with something urgent. The trade-off is that much of the work is invisible when it goes well, and the interruptions come from everyone else's priorities.
What people like
- You know how the office works. Secretaries end up holding the institutional memory of a business, from which supplier is reliable to where last year's contract is filed.
- The work has a clear finish line. Minutes typed, invoices processed, a meeting rescheduled: much of the job produces something you can tick off by the end of the day.
- Variety inside a stable role. A single day can move from formatting a report to booking travel to chasing a supplier, which suits people who would rather not do one task for hours.
- You see the whole business. Supporting a manager or team puts you close to decisions and clients, and that knowledge transfers to office manager or executive assistant work.
What people find hard
- Interruptions set the agenda. The priority list can change the moment a manager needs something, so the work you planned for the morning often shifts to the afternoon.
- Quiet when it goes well. Accurate minutes and a well-run diary tend to be noticed only when something goes wrong, so the job rarely attracts visible credit.
- Repetitive paperwork. Invoices, expense claims and filing come around every week and every month, and the volume does not shrink because you have done it before.
- Pay sits below the responsibility. The role carries a lot of trust and discretion, yet pay is lower than for many jobs with a similar level of contact and organisation, and moving up usually means changing title.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ secretarys?
Construction employs the largest share of secretarys, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Construction
- 2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 3Other Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 46.4% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13.5% | |
| Bachelor degree | 12.9% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 11.8% | |
| Postgraduate | 5.4% |
Will AI replace secretarys?
This is a highly exposed role, because much of the work is text, records and scheduling that AI tools already handle well. Software now drafts routine letters, summarises email threads and proposes meeting times, and those sit at the centre of a secretary's day. What holds up is the part that depends on knowing the business and the people in it: deciding what a manager needs to see, protecting confidential material, and being the reliable point of contact for clients and staff.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Drafting and formatting routine correspondenceTemplates, standard letters and routine emails are the kind of text AI produces quickly, so the secretary's time goes into checking tone, accuracy and the details specific to that client.30%high
- Screening calls, greeting visitors and handling confidential paperworkWorking out who genuinely needs a manager's time, and dealing with signed contracts or personnel files, depends on context and trust that the tools do not carry.30%low
- Managing diaries and scheduling meetingsCalendar tools already suggest times across several people, but someone still has to resolve the clash and know which meeting genuinely takes priority.20%high
- Filing and document managementSearch and automatic tagging in document systems cut the time spent naming and sorting files, though a person still decides what is retained, what is confidential and how records meet the business's obligations.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a secretary
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a secretary earn in Australia?
A secretary earns $84,600 per year before tax at the median, which means half earn more and half earn less. Pay moves with the industry, the size of the business and whether the role supports a whole team or a single manager, so the range around that figure is wide.
How do you become a secretary?
Most secretaries come in through junior office roles such as receptionist or administration officer, then take on correspondence, scheduling and records work as they go. A Certificate III or IV in Business Administration is a common qualification, though for 46% of secretaries Year 12 or below is the highest level they hold.
Are secretaries in demand?
Secretaries are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to decline 5.7% over the decade to 2035. Roles still open through turnover, so the practical approach is to build industry-specific experience and target employers whose paperwork you already understand.
Will AI replace secretaries?
AI is already handling parts of this work, including drafting routine letters, summarising email threads and proposing meeting times. Typing, formatting and straightforward diary coordination are the most affected tasks. What remains is judging what a manager needs to see, handling confidential material and being the dependable contact for clients and staff, and those keep the role in most offices.
What can a secretary move into?
Personal assistant and executive assistant roles are the closest moves, paying $10,700 more and $10,700 more, because the diary and correspondence work overlaps almost completely. Office manager pays $5,400 more and shifts you towards managing people, budgets and processes, usually with some study in management. Legal secretary trades general office work for legal terminology and court documents.
What is the difference between a secretary and a personal assistant?
A personal assistant supports one person, usually a senior manager or executive, and manages their diary, travel and correspondence closely. A secretary generally supports a manager or a small team and carries broader administrative work across records, invoices and correspondence. The two overlap a lot in practice, which is why secretaries step into PA roles so readily.
Related roles
- Office Manager
- Personal Assistant
- Executive Assistant
- Legal Secretary
- Company Secretary
- Administration Officer
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