How to become an Executive Assistant
Also called: Personal Assistant
Provides high level support to individual executives, a team of executives, Managers and/or Professionals in an organisation.
Main tasks
- Acts as a proxy for the individual executives they support
- Organises and prepares for meetings, including gathering documents and attending to meeting logistics
- Drafts, reviews and sends communications on behalf of executives
- Coordinates travel arrangements
- Sets daily schedules for executives
- Prioritises and responds to emails
- Answers and returns phone calls
- May assist with personal tasks such as making doctor's appointments or handling family-related matters
Ways in
- TAFE and VET: Certificate III in Health Administration (HLT37315); Diploma of Business (BSB50120); Advanced Diploma of Marketing and Communication (BSB60520); Certificate III in Accounts Administration (FNS30322); Certificate IV in Business (BSB40120); Diploma of Paralegal Services (BSB50720)
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Typical full-time pay: $95,264 a year
- About 49,800 people work in this job group now, and about 46,900 are projected by 2035. (-5.8%)
- Many tasks in this job could be automated by AI. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as high.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Executive Assistant?
Ways in include: Certificate III in Health Administration; Diploma of Business.
How much does an Executive Assistant earn in Australia?
Median full-time pay is $95,264 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Is an Executive Assistant a growing career in Australia?
Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 49,800 to about 46,900 people (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Do you need a degree to become an Executive Assistant?
Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Certificate III in Health Administration; Diploma of Business.
Will AI change the work of an Executive Assistant?
Many tasks in this job could be automated by AI. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as high.
Sources
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation data (ANZSCO), from ABS Labour Force and Census (February 2026), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Generative AI Capacity Study, interactive table data (September 2025), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Employment Projections (Victoria University) (May 2025 to May 2035), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Australian Taxation Office: Taxation Statistics, Individuals Table 15A (2023-24), CC BY 2.5 AU, retrieved 2026-10-04
Updated 2026-10-04