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PA Career Guide: How Much Does a PA Earn?

Written by: Evie Courtier
Published on: 24 Aug 2023

PA

 

Earlier this year we published our annual Audience Insight Report, a thorough exploration of the ebbs and flows of the business support landscape across the last 5 years. We turned to over 1,500 EAs, PAs, and other business support professionals to share an insight into their working lives. From salaries and bonuses, to job hunting and hybrid working patterns, we set out to discover how the past few years have affected our audience.

  • The Career Pathway

    Education pathways and levels among Personal Assistants in our audience are highly varied. As noted in our ‘PA Job Description’, there is no linear pathway for a Personal Assistant. Some industries and employers may demand an applicant educated to degree level; however, the priority is often placed on those who have built their career with sufficient experience to date.

    As Anna West, finalist at our prestigious ‘PA of the Year awards’, and PA at KPMG noted, “over 20 years ago I started working as a receptionist and built my confidence up with my computer skills and learning new systems, dealing with clients and the general running of a corporate office. I quickly started taking on more tasks, and then helping to support senior PAs at my company at that time taking on tasks. Following this they offered me a junior PA position which I was delighted with. From there I have gained experience and knowledge and have slowly “worked my way up the ladder” to support more senior stakeholders.”

    Applying for entry-level positions: starting with an entry-level receptionist role, or administrative assistant job, provides experience of working in a professional office environment, demonstrates you as a desirable candidate for an internal promotion to a PA position, or allows you to gain ample experience to apply into the realm of PA jobs elsewhere.

  • Industry Insights

    The PAs in our audience are spread across an array of industry sectors, but Banking and Financial Services lay claim to the lion’s share (22%). Accounting for 14%, the industry with the second highest population of PAs is Property / Real Estate, while 8% work in Medical, and 6% specialise in Construction, Education, and Legal retrospectively.

    In regards to salary, those working as Personal Assistants in the Fashion sector took home the highest pay grade of £60,000 on average per annum. In line with representation, PAs in the Banking and Finance sector received the third most affluent pay packet, of £46,200 on average, succumbing to those working in the Private Individual / Family world, with a £467 discrepancy. As detailed,

    PAs in the Legal landscape, saw an attractive pay of £45,000, alongside PAs in Marketing.

    Further down the pay grade sits the Charity, Medical, and Public Sector sectors, with average pay circling the region of £33,000.

    Industry

  • Remuneration and Reward

    Following a year of uncertain economic security, a resilient profession championed by its professional employees came to the forefront. Honouring the PA community, Private PAs topped the salary charts for a second year running, with an average salary of £55,179 - a 9% annual increase on 2022 figures. For other PAs, 62% acquired a pay rise, a 47% uplift on 2022 statistics resulting in an average salary of £40,699 per annum.

    52% of our PA community also received a bonus, with Private PAs receiving a supplementary 7% on average, compared to 5% of other PAs.

    Naturally, salaries adhere to experience and tenure, industry, and location. A prosperous year was presented to the 19% of the SecsintheCity community, who commenced a new role in 2023, with the median starting salary outweighing individuals with one to three years' experience in their current role by £2,000 on average.

    At the other end of the spectrum, it is welcoming to report that loyalty from business support professionals has reached an all-time high, with 32% marking a 10-year milestone at work. In terms of salary, expertise pays off, with those boasting over 10 years experience earning an attractive average salary of £45,000 per annum.

  • Clocking In, Clocking Up: Experience & Tenure

    With experience, comes reward. For PAs with 1-3 years experience, the starting salary commences at £35,000, growing by £2,222 on average within the first 6 years. Once a PA has obtained a decade of experience, their salary will have grown by another £4,000. Almost one-third of our audience (32%) have marked a 10-year work milestone, up from 31% last year. With 41% boasting a 20-year track record, our workforce points to a highly experienced and ambitious audience, enjoying salaries at the higher end of the bracket.

    Similarly, company loyalty results in steady salary growth. PAs with less than a year of experience start out their careers on around £37,439 - a 24% increase from 2021 figures. Reflecting the condition of the candidate-driven market at the start of 2023, strong starting salaries are thereby followed by a £4,000 pay increase upon reaching the four year mark. Personal Assistants who reach 10 years or more within one company can expect average annual earnings of £43,125. With 51% of PAs average 1-3 years in their current role, we’re left questioning what, aside from salary, will aid employee retention.

  • Professional Priorities

    When posed the question ‘what’s most important to you in a job’, our audience responded with an almost even split between salary (32%) and flexible / hybrid working (30%). For PAs in particular, the gap was slightly exaggerated with 39% choosing salary. Despite favour falling in line with pay, flexible working has had a monumental impact on our working lives - surpassing job stability, which post-pandemic was certainly at the forefront of our concerns.

    With employee retention in mind, it’s wise to note that alongside flexibility, stands ‘opportunity for progression’. Being proactive is within a PA’s nature. As noted by PA of the Year finalist, Astrid Jacobs, “PAs are vital as they are not only the extension of the leader - they are office pulse takers, mood makers, influencers, networkers, they essentially hold teams and functions together.” Offering Personal Assistants opportunities for advancement, and understanding what fuel’s their loyalty, is the key to retaining, and securing vital new talent.

    important

  • Capital in the Capital

    Working in London has a lot to offer PAs, from strong salaries, to networking opportunities at in-person events such as the PA Show, and ease of access to our PA of the Year awards, hosted at the Ivy.

    Within the Capital, 38% of PAs worked in Central, 33% in the City and 9% in West London, while 4% worked in South London, 3% in East, and 1% in Canary Wharf.

    With average annual salaries of £45,000, Canary Wharf and West London were the most lucrative London locations for PAs - with the Wharf defending its status as one of the city’s major financial districts - while those working in Central London were awarded £42,895 per year. In terms of salaries, East London trails behind the rest of the Capital with PAs reporting average annual earnings of £38,333.

    London

  • The Hybrid Routine

    The rise of hybrid working in 2023 has brought a new element to the lives of PAs. This year, 76% of EAs and 68% of PAs reported working in a hybrid working structure. For PAs, wherein organisation and time management are such crucial parts of the role, hybrid working offers a chance to reset boundaries and schedules. Without a physical presence in the office, PAs have the opportunity to arrange proper check-ins and appoint changes to schedules via email with fewer physical interruptions.

    57% of Private PAs received the perk. An almost 10% drop on Corporate PAs, it’s worth remembering that Private PAs offer a true 24/7 service, and are often required to travel with, or be on call around the clock.

  • Executive Earnings

    The 49% of PAs in the SecsintheCity community now supporting multiple managers, take home £6000 less on average, than the 21% who support a single executive. There is, however, a notable 5% pay rise from last year’s report, with multi-boss professionals earning £41,300 on average. A turnaround from 2022, wherein one-to-one professionals saw the greatest salary growth, respondents supporting three people saw the highest pay increase of 6% to £44,505 per annum.

    Accruing in line with seniority level, PAs operating at the highest level reported the highest salaries, with those working for CEOs, CFOs and other C-Suite Executives afforded average salaries of £46,000 per year.

    Multi-support roles appear to be more prominent in certain industries, with the Banking and Finance sector accounting for 23%, a further 13% found in the Property / Real Estate industry, and 8% in Medical. Aside from industry differences, there’s a discernible distinction between the characteristics of single and multi-support roles in regards to reward of pay - this year, 60% of multi-boss PAs reported a pay rise, compared to 73% of those supporting a single-executive.

    Executive

  • Looking to the Future

    Across the past five years SecsintheCity has paid witness to the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and recent boom of AI acting as significant drivers for change, resulting in companies re-evaluating hiring and employee retention practices, increased hybrid and remote working, and a fluctuating candidate/employee-driven market.

    Whilst Private PAs retained their position as the highest earners, 63% of PAs acquired a pay rise, as organisations acknowledged their business-critical contribution in challenging times. Nonetheless, the multi-boss movement remains an area for improvement, despite individuals supporting more than one executive receiving a 5% rise in pay.

    Adjusting to a world of hybrid and remote working has called for businesses to invest in building capability, looking after connections and culture. With loyal, experienced employees, dedicated to their business in top demand, will PAs continue to reap the benefits of increased pay and flexibility?


Discover the full picture, download the 2023 SecsintheCity salary survey today.

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