Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Office and administrative support / 43-6011.00

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

US jobs
459,910
Median wage
$76,590 a year
Job family
Office and administrative support

Can agents do the work of executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Office and administrative support:

  • Task levelStrongOn computer-use and office-task benchmarks, top agents pass most tasks: 90.2% on OSWorld-Verified (humans: 72.4%), 83.1% on SpreadsheetBench, and 63.3% on WorkArena L1 under the standard protocol. Limits: many top entries are self-submitted and not re-run by the maintainers, and on TheAgentCompany's multi-step workplace tasks the best agent resolves 42.9%.
  • Project levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, but GDPval tasks are one-shot and fully specified. No benchmark in our collection tests multi-day administrative work, such as running a calendar or a purchasing process.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in office and administrative support, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
  • Make travel arrangements for executives.
  • Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
  • Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
  • Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
  • Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
  • Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
  • Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
  • Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings.
  • Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors.
  • Perform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management database systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work.
  • File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports.
Other job titles for this occupation (41)

Administrative Aide · Administrative Assistant · Administrative Associate · Administrative Coordinator · Administrative Secretary · Administrative Specialist · Executive Administrative Assistant · Executive Assistant · Executive Secretary · Office Assistant · Administrative Liaison · Administrative Office Assistant · Administrative Office Specialist · Administrative Officer · Administrative Services Assistant · Administrative Support Specialist · Clerical Specialist · Confidential Secretary · Congressional Apprentice · Congressional Staffer · Corporate Secretary · Director's Assistant · Executive Administrator · Executive Office Assistant · Executive Staff Assistant · Financial Secretary · Human Resources Executive Assistant (HR Executive Assistant) · Management Assistant · Office Administrator · Personal Assistant · Personal Secretary · President's Assistant · Program Support Assistant · Program Support Specialist · Project Assistant · Protocol Officer · Scheduler · Staff Assistant · Trust Manager Assistant · VP Assistant (Vice President's Assistant) · VP Secretary (Vice President Secretary)