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Essential Skill Demand Assessment
Business, Administration and Governance
Skills
June 2008
©2008 CfA
Contents
1. Executive Summary ................................................................... 4
1.1 The Workforce .................................................................................4
1.1.1 The Size of the Workforce..............................................................4
1.1.2 The Changing Workforce ...............................................................5
1.2 Drivers of Skills Demand .................................................................6
1.2.1 Globalisation................................................................................6
1.2.2 Technological Change ...................................................................6
1.3 Skills ...............................................................................................6
1.3.1 Current Skills Needs .....................................................................6
1.3.2 Skill-shortage Vacancies................................................................7
1.3.3 Skills Gaps ..................................................................................8
2. Introduction .............................................................................. 9
2.1 Scope of the Research .....................................................................9
2.2 Methodologies ................................................................................. 9
2.2.1 Primary Research ....................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Secondary Research ................................................................... 10
3. Scope....................................................................................... 12
3.1 Definition of Occupation ................................................................12
3.1.1 Strategic Decision-makers and Governing Bodies ............................ 12
3.1.2 Designated and Specialist Administrators ....................................... 13
3.1.3 Self-administration ..................................................................... 14
3.2 Size and Profile of Workforce ........................................................15
3.2.1 The Administration Workforce ...................................................... 16
3.2.2 Self-administration Workforce ...................................................... 18
3.2.3 Administrative Workforce in Sectors .............................................. 19
3.3 Age of Workforce........................................................................... 20
3.3.1 Designated and Specialist Administrators ....................................... 20
3.3.2 Self-employed Workforce............................................................. 20
3.4 Working Hours .............................................................................. 21
3.4.1 Strategic Decision-makers ........................................................... 21
3.4.2 Designated and Specialist Administrators ....................................... 21
3.5 Disability and Ethnicity in the Workforce.......................................22
3.5.1 Administrators and Specialists...................................................... 22
3.5.2 Self-employed ........................................................................... 23
3.6 Gender of Workforce ..................................................................... 23
3.7 Retention and Labour Turnover ..................................................... 24
4. Drivers of Skill Demand and its Impact ................................... 25
4.1 External Drivers............................................................................. 25
4.1.1 Globalisation.............................................................................. 25
4.1.2 Technological Change ................................................................. 25
4.1.3 Government Policy ..................................................................... 27
4.2 International Benchmarking.......................................................... 27
©2008 CfA
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5. Character and Composition of Current Skills Needs ................. 29
5.1 Overview of Required Skills ........................................................... 29
5.1.1 Strategic Decision-makers ........................................................... 29
5.1.2 Designated Administrators ........................................................... 29
5.1.3 Specialist Administrators ............................................................. 37
5.1.4 Other Professionals..................................................................... 37
5.2 Skills Shortages............................................................................. 38
5.2.1 England .................................................................................... 38
5.2.2 Wales ....................................................................................... 43
5.2.3 Scotland ................................................................................... 45
5.2.4 Northern Ireland ........................................................................ 46
5.2.5 Attitudes ................................................................................... 48
5.2.6 Summary .................................................................................. 48
5.3 Skills Gaps ..................................................................................... 49
5.3.1 England .................................................................................... 49
5.3.2 Wales ....................................................................................... 55
5.3.3 Scotland ................................................................................... 57
5.3.4 Northern Ireland ........................................................................ 58
5.3.5 Summary .................................................................................. 60
6. Future Skills Needs.................................................................. 61
6. Future Skills Needs.................................................................. 61
6.1 Changes to the Pattern of Skills Requirements..............................61
6.1.1 Administrators and Specialists...................................................... 61
6.2 Forecast Shifts in Patterns of Employment ....................................61
6.2.1 Designated and Specialist Administrators ....................................... 61
6.2.2 Self-administration ..................................................................... 63
6.2.3 Summary .................................................................................. 64
References .................................................................................. 65
Appendices .................................................................................. 68
Appendix 1: 2007 CfA Employer Questionnaire ...................................68
Appendix 2: 2007 Administrators’ Questionnaire ................................77
Appendix 3: 2008 Senior Administrators’ Questionnaire .....................83
©2008 CfA
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1. Executive Summary
The Council for Administration (CfA) has been acting as the national standardsetting body for business, administration and governance skills since 1996. Over
the past decade, the CfA has defined the role of the business administrator and
identified key skills that are essential for success in today’s increasingly
competitive business environment.
The CfA recognises that a key factor driving economic productivity is skills
development, for both young learners who directly enter the UK workforce in
large numbers from school, college, university and work-based learning, and
those already in the workforce. Consequently, it is vital that the qualifications and
training available in the sector match economic needs and demands.
The report will analyse what drives business success and profitability in the
sector. From this base, it will assess both the current and future requirements for
qualifications and training from an employer perspective.
The CfA’s remit covers the governance workforce and strategic decision-makers,
specialist and designated administrators, as well as the secondary administration
market. A large part of the research for the Essential Skills Demand Assessment
was based on secondary research carried out by agencies in the four nations. The
secondary research carried out by the agencies failed to specifically examine the
skills required by strategic decision-makers and the governance workforce.
However, where possible, past research carried out during the development of
the governance National Occupational Standards (NOS) has been used to identify
some of the skills and attributes required by the governance workforce. Likewise,
the majority of the reports used for secondary research do not identify the
administration skills required of the secondary administration market. Where
information was available, this has been included. Because of the limited time
and resources available, the CfA was unable to examine the administration skill
needs of the entire UK workforce through primary research.
1.1 The Workforce
1.1.1 The Size of the Workforce
The primary market up to level 7 (level 11 in the Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework [SCQF]) consists of 4.43 million people who are
responsible for the business, administration and governance functions in the
public, private and not-for-profit sectors. At level 8 (level 12 in the SCQF),
Companies House estimates there are 7 million registered directorships. This
market includes:
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7.4 million strategic decision-makers, comprising registered directors,
company and chartered secretaries
1,456,000 specialist administrators who, in addition to general
administration skills, also need sector–specific knowledge to fulfil their job
roles
2,561,000 designated administrators who need generic administration
skills to fulfil their job roles
Broken down by level, this primary workforce includes:
©2008 CfA
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Level 8 (level 12 in the SCQF) – Directors
o 7 million registered directorships at Companies House
Level 7 (level 11 in the SCQF)
o 412,000 chief executives, chartered secretaries and company
secretaries
Levels 4–6 (levels 8–10 in the SCQF)
o 465,000 administration managers, office managers and operations
managers
o 369,000 personal assistants, public service administrative
professionals and other secretaries
Level 3 (levels 6 and 7 in the SCQF)
o 233,000 sector administrators, specialist secretaries and technical
specialists
Up to level 2 (level 5 in the SCQF)
o 2,709,000 administrators, clerks and receptionists
o 241,000 post-room workers, mail sorters, messenger couriers and
elementary office workers
It demonstrates that 2,561,000 workers have designated administration roles
where much of their skills development needs focus on administration skills. An
additional 1,456,000 have specialist administration roles where a proportion of
their skills development needs focus on specialist and sector knowledge and skills
as well as administration skills.
The secondary administration market consists of 14.4 million people who
work as professionals, managers and technical specialists in the public, private
and not-for-profit sectors, and 3.698 million self-employed people who are all
required to have a range of Business & Administration skills.
The administration workforce is larger than any of the 25 Sector Skills Councils
(SSCs) (only one SSC tops 3 million – Skillsmart Retail, with a projected
workforce of 3,351,000 in 2014).
1.1.2 The Changing Workforce
Over recent years, there has been a decline in the size of the designated and
specialist administration workforce. The wider use of information technology (IT)
in administration roles, improved communication systems and the movement
towards managerial professional occupations, undertaking their own
administration, constitute some of the reasons for this decrease. That said, it is
interesting to note that research carried out by Gordon Yates has shown that,
during 2007, many companies (mainly in London), in fact increased the size of
their administration workforces. Either way, a decline in the size of this workforce
is not to be confused with a reduced demand for skilled administrators. Research
carried out by Wilson, Homenidou and Dickerson, in 2006, has shown that in the
decade ending in 2014, the demand for skilled administrators is in fact very large
– approximately 1.2 million people. This large demand for administrators is
mainly due to the ageing workforce. Currently, 25% of specialist and designated
administrators are over the age of 50, and are, therefore, due to retire in the
next 15 years. Therefore, while the actual size of the workforce is in gradual
decline, there is an ongoing need for employers to find skilled administrators to
replace those who are leaving the workforce.
In addition to the large demand for skilled specialist and designated
administrators, the self-administration workforce is continuing to grow.
Combined, these two workforces mean that there is a very large demand for
administration skills.
©2008 CfA
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The majority of administrators were found to be valued by their employers and
colleagues. Also, the majority of administrators were found to enjoy their work,
and therefore tend to remain with the same employer for several years. This
stability in the workforce means that three-quarters of employers do not have to
encourage their administrative staff to stay. Those that do use enticements to
keep administrative staff were found to use:
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Salary reviews and incremental pay increases
Performance and target related bonuses
Regular appraisals and target setting
Training and development (both professional and personal)
Management responsibilities
Broader task responsibilities
Career progression
1.2 Drivers of Skills Demand
1.2.1 Globalisation
Advances in communication technology and increased ease of travel have
removed many of the barriers traditionally posed by national borders and oceans.
It is argued that globalisation is increasing the value of skills and that there is a
need for economies to ensure the workforce, including both the administration
and the governance workforce, is flexible and skilled enough to take advantage of
changes in technology and capable of moving into new areas of work. There is
also likely to be an increase in demand for foreign languages, especially for
British workers who decide to move abroad to work.
The European Qualification Framework (EQF) will allow for the validation of
qualifications for use in European countries, and will therefore assist the freedom
of movement of Europeans within Europe who want to work in administrative
roles.
1.2.2 Technological Change
Technology is continuing to advance and change at an astonishing rate.
Administrators require excellent knowledge of office technologies and must
ensure that their skills are continuously developed in-line with technological
advances.
In the past 20 years, computer-based technologies have become increasingly
important to all administrators. In 2006, 97.2% of administrators were identified
by Felstead et al (2007), to be using computer technology, compared with just
61.5% in 1986. In addition, administrators are increasingly using technology in
an advanced or complex way.
1.3 Skills
1.3.1 Current Skills Needs
Governance
Sound governance is dependent on a balanced approach to three particular
groups of attributes:
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The intellectual dimension – critical analysis and judgement, showing
vision and imagination and taking a strategic perspective
The managerial dimension – managing resources, communicating
engagingly, empowering and developing others and achieving results
The emotional and social dimensions – being self-aware, being emotionally
resilient, applying intuition, being sensitive to others, being motivated and
acting conscientiously
Many of these skills and attributes are acquired over time in positions of
responsibility.
Designated Administrators
The skills required of administrators vary from level to level. Junior administrators
are likely to require skills in information management, communication, literacy,
mail-handling, numeracy, and basic IT in a few applications. While many of these
skills are required at all levels, administrators working at levels 2 and 3 (SCQF
levels 5–7), are likely to also require planning and organisation skills and some
management skills. Administrators working at levels 4, or level 8 in Scotland, will
need these people management skills to be highly developed, as management
becomes a central purpose of their job. Equally, they require excellent planning
and organisation skills to perform the majority of their tasks.
1.3.2 Skill-shortage Vacancies
Skill-shortage vacancies (SSVs) are hard-to-fill vacancies (HtFVs) resulting from
applicants lacking the required skills, qualifications or experience which they
require to work effectively. Other causes of HtFVs may include a lack of
enthusiasm, poor pay or location. Examination of SSVs illustrates some of the
skills that are most demanded by employers. Research carried out by the
Learning and Skills Council in England (LSC), Future Skills Wales, Future Skills
Scotland and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland
(DELNI), examined SSVs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,
respectively.
In England, 12% of all vacancies are in administration, and 15% of those
vacancies are SSVs. Of all HtFVs, SSVs in England account for 73% of HtFVs – a
large proportion of all HtFVs. SSVs are believed to have a greater impact on
business performance than HtFVs which are not caused by skills. There is,
therefore, reason to be concerned over the high proportion of SSVs.
The skills areas which were identified as lacking among applicants, and therefore
contributing to administration SSVs in England, included: customer-handling; oral
and written communication; general office administration skills; literacy; general
and professional IT and management.
The LSC also identified that, while a lack of general office and administration skills
contributed to 35% of administration SSVs, it also contributed to 22% of all SSVs
in England. This shows the requirement for some administration skills by the
entire English workforce. Occupations in sales, management, personal services
and associate professions, were all found to require a higher level of
administration skills than the general workforce.
The financial services sector has the largest administration workforce, when
calculated as a proportion of the total workforce in this sector. It was not
surprising to find then, that a lack of administration skills contribute to 35% of
SSVs in this sector. A lack of administration skills were also shown to contribute
©2008 CfA
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to a larger proportion of SSVs, in comparison to the administration workforce
size, in Proskills UK, Skillset, Creative and Cultural Skills and e-skills. This
supports the fact that administration skills are required across all sectors.
In Wales, 5% of all HtFVs and 4% of all SSVs are in administration.
Administration HtFVs, as a proportion of all HtFVs, vary across sectors in Wales.
Lantra has the highest proportion of administration HtFVs (31%), compared with
Skills for Care, where just 1% of all HtFVs are administration HtFVs. There was no
data available on the extent to which different skills contribute specifically to
administration SSVs. However, it was shown that a number of the skills which are
essential in administration where responsible for SSVs generally.
In Scotland, administration vacancies account for 10% of all vacancies, and 38%
of those are HtFVs – considerably higher than in England. 71% of HtFVs in
Scotland are due to skills shortages.
In Northern Ireland, 14% of employers reported administrative vacancies in
2005, 4% higher than in 2002. 45% of administration HtFVs were identified as
SSVs, a considerably lower proportion than in Scotland and England.
1.3.3 Skills Gaps
Skills gaps exist where current employees lack all of the skills required of them.
Identification of the skills which contribute to skills gaps highlights the skills that
are most essential to a role.
In England, skills gaps have been suggested to exist in as many as 16% of
administration jobs. However, the number of skills gaps has been in decline, as
have skills gaps in all occupational areas. As a proportion of all skills gaps, skills
gaps in administration occupations account for 12%. Skills gaps among
administrators were found to be highest among administrators in London.
Skill areas that were found to contribute to skills gaps, most frequently, include
office and administration skills, customer handling, general IT use, problemsolving and communication. A lack of general office and administration skills are
by far the largest reason for skills gaps in administration occupations,
contributing to 55% of administration skills gaps.
As was shown with SSVs, a lack of administration skills contributes to skills gaps
in all occupational areas, especially among managers, professionals and associate
professionals.
In Wales, 5% of administrators were reported as having skills gaps. In Scotland,
8% of skills gaps are in administration occupations. In Northern Ireland, 33% of
organisations believed there to be skills gaps among their administrators,
considerably higher than England and Wales. There was no information on the
specific skills which contribute to skills gaps in Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland. However, the skills which are required by administrators were shown to
contribute to skills gaps generally.
©2008 CfA
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2. Introduction
The UK has a high employment rate within the G7 group of countries1. However,
productivity in the UK economy is below that of many comparator countries2. One
factor that drives productivity performance is skills, and recent research has
shown that the UK’s skills profile is relatively poor when compared with countries
such as France and Germany, especially at intermediate levels 3.
Given that the utilisation of skills contributes to the productivity performance of
an economy, it is vital that the training supplied to businesses and individuals
matches that which is needed and demanded. In order to make sure that this is
the case, the CfA are leading on a major study of labour market information, with
an emphasis on assessment of essential skills demand and essential skills supply.
This work will give employers in the sector the opportunity to shape the
development of training to meet their short-, medium- and long-term business
needs, setting the skills priorities and direction for the next 5–10 years.
Therefore, the fundamental aim of this report is to understand what it is that
drives business success and profitability in the sector. From this base, the report
will assess both the current and future requirements for skills and training from
an employer perspective. Together with the essential skills supply assessment,
this research will inform the gap analysis where priorities for action will be
presented.
2.1 Scope of the Research
The CfA’s remit covers the governance workforce and strategic decision-makers,
specialist and designated administrators, as well as the secondary administration
market – details of which are provided in section 3.
A large part of the research for the Essential Skills Demand Assessment was
based on secondary research carried out by agencies in the four nations. The
secondary research carried out by the agencies failed to specifically examine the
skills required by strategic decision-makers and the governance workforce.
However, where possible, past research carried out during the development of
the governance NOS has been used to identify some of the skills and attributes
required by the governance workforce.
As outlined in the report, even non-administrators require some administration
skills. The majority of the reports used for secondary research do not identify the
administrations skills required of this secondary administration market. Where
information was available, this has been included in the Essential Skills Demand
Assessment. Because of the limited time and resources available, the CfA was
unable to examine the administration skill needs of the entire UK workforce
through primary research.
2.2 Methodologies
The methodology employed to conduct this analysis is of both a primary and
secondary nature.
1 Employment Outlook 2006, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, June
2006
2 The Office for National Statistics (2006)
3 Tamkin et al (2004): pp.8–9
©2008 CfA
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2.2.1 Primary Research
Telephone Interviews
The first stage of primary research took the form of surveys administered over
the telephone. The telephone surveys were used to determine employers’ and
administrators’ perspectives on current and future skills needs.
200 UK employers across all sectors answered the initial telephone consultation.
450 administrators across the UK and across sectors gave their feedback on the
employer results through a telephone survey.
After analysis of these initial telephone interviews, a further telephone survey,
with 250 senior administrators, was commissioned. This provided further depth
into areas identified in the initial consultations.
To ensure the telephone surveys captured an accurate representation of
administrators and employers throughout the UK, the views of respondents from
all four nations were sought. The number of respondents sought from each nation
was determined according to the size of the administrative working population in
each nation. However, due to the size of the samples used, which were dictated
by resources, the number of respondents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
were relatively small. This means that results, while providing a useful insight
into the entire UK population, could not be used to accurately gain knowledge
specific to nations.
Copies of the questionnaires used are included as appendices 1, 2 and 3.
Calculating the Size of the Administration Workforce
Labour Force Survey data, based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000
(SOC2000), was used to calculate the size of the administration workforce. While
this data proves to be a valuable resource, it is limited when used to estimate the
size of the governance workforce. Taking this into account, information from
Companies House provided figures on the number of registered directorships.
2.2.2 Secondary Research
External Research
To begin the research, external secondary research was used to set the scene.
The research comes from a variety of sources, as follows.
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Sector Skills Agreements from the 25 SSCs
Government research from the DTI, Treasury, DELNI, WAG and Scottish
Executive
Futureskills Scotland and Wales
LSC reports – both national and regional
Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and Skills for Business Network
(SfBN) reports
Other resources, as set out in SSDA guidance
It is to be noted that all of these data sources have limitations in terms of how
well they represent the world of Business & Administration. The administration
workforce is cross-sector, but many of the secondary information sources are
sector based, creating a major difficulty. It is important that this is taken into
account when our arguments are presented.
Another valuable secondary resource was SecsLife 2007–2008, published by
Gordon Yates, which captured the views of 308 employers, 670 permanent
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administrators and 166 temporary administrators. The Gordon Yates research has
a reputation for being of high quality and tracking changing trends in Business &
Administration. In the most part, Gordon Yates represents the views of employers
and employees in London and the South East – a limitation which should be taken
into account when considering findings drawn from this research.
Internal Research
Internal CfA research reports were used where up-to-date or relevant information
was not available from other sources.
The main sources of CfA research were:
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©2008 CfA
International benchmarking reports
Functional and occupational maps
The CfA Vision report
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3. Scope
3.1 Definition of Occupation
Over fifty percent of the UK workforce use business, administration or governance
skills to fulfil their job responsibilities at work. These skills are essential for the
day-to-day operation, strategic direction and survival of every business in the UK,
regardless of the size of organisation or the sector in which it operates. The key
purpose of administration can simply be stated as being:
“To provide business support systems, processes and services that
enable the organisation to achieve its objectives and continuously
improve its performance for customers” 4.
All businesses require an administration function in order for the organisation to
be effective. Therefore, Business & Administration skills underpin a range of
occupations across all sectors, and exist within every organisation in the UK.
Research carried out by the CfA, in 2007, found that:
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98% of employers agree that the administration function is critical to the
effectiveness of their organisation
96% of employers agree that the administration function is critical to
meeting business objectives
98% of employers agree that the administration function is an important
support mechanism
In 2006, 66% of employers believed that administrators have become more
important to the success of their organisation 5.
The administration workforce incorporates a wide-ranging group of people. These
are strategic decision-makers, designated administrators and specialist
administrators.
The characteristics of the administration workforce can best be described as
being: 6
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Predominantly female at NQF levels 2, 3 and 4, but predominantly male at
strategic levels (NQF levels 5 and above)
An ageing workforce where 48% are over the age of 40, and 25% are due
to retire in the next 15 years
Educated to a minimum of level 2 or above (81% of the workforce)
Working full time, although more and more are working part time, and
temporary work in this area is increasing
3.1.1 Strategic Decision-makers and Governing Bodies
Strategic decision-makers ensure an organisation’s long-term success by
directing the organisation’s affairs in support of its interests and goals, while
complying with the law 7.
The strategic decision-making workforce includes managing directors, chief
executives, executive directors, non-executive directors, chairs, company
secretaries and chartered secretaries.
Roles of the governance workforce involve 8:
4 CfA Functional Map (1999): p.12. This definition of administration still rings true today, and is being
carried through to the 2008 Functional Map
5 CfA (2006)
6 Levels refer to NQF Levels. CfA Occupational Map (2008)
7 Pierce (2006): p.8 and CfA (2002): p.32
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Defining the role of the governing body
Ensuring the effective functioning and performance of the governing body
Ensuring effective governing body decision-making and delegation
Determining the organisation’s purpose, vision, values and ethics
Defining the organisation’s strategy and structure
Overseeing the evaluation of organisational and managerial performance
Ensuring effective compliance and control systems
Exercising accountability and engaging effectively with key stakeholders
Another major strategic decision-making job role is that of the chartered or
company secretary. Company secretaries are responsible for servicing the board
of directors, and are pivotal to its efficiency and effectiveness. They provide
comprehensive practical guidance, full information and formal support to
individual directors and to the board as a whole. 9
Many organisations, such as small companies which are managed by the owner,
do not have a governing body. Instead, the organisation’s direction is set by the
owner.
The skills of strategic decision-makers and the structure of the governing body
are crucial to the performance and survival of an organisation.
“When corporate governance is inadequate, company performance,
over the long term, suffers … ultimately, enterprises are more likely to
lose value, or, in extreme circumstances, fail …”10
3.1.2 Designated and Specialist Administrators
Designated administrators include office managers, personal assistants,
secretaries, administrators, clerks and receptionists. These administrators need
Business & Administration skills and are likely to have some sector knowledge.
Specialist administrators include medical administrators, legal secretaries and
financial administrators. These administrators require level 3 Business &
Administration skills, along with knowledge specific to the sector in which they
work.
The job function, of both designated and specialist administrators, centres on
carrying out administrative duties within an organisation. Unlike designated
administrators, specialist administrators have roles where the general
administration function needs to be exercised within a specialist sector context,
requiring them to have some specialist knowledge of the sector. For example, a
legal secretary requires some specialist knowledge of the legal system, and a
human resources administrator requires some specialist knowledge of HR. A
designated administrator, such as a receptionist, however, requires no specialist
knowledge of the department, organisation or sector in which they work.
Examples of designated and specialist job titles are given in table 1, below.
8 CfA Governance NOS
9 CfA (2007): p.45
10 Mellor (2004): p.10
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Table 1: Example job titles of designated and specialist administrators
Examples of Designated Roles
administrator
secretary
clerical assistant
telephonist
administration assistant
personal assistant
receptionist
typist
post-room worker
office junior
office manager
filing clerk
stock control clerk
secretary
Examples of Specialist Roles
HR administrator
sales/marketing administrator
property administrator
finance administrator
registrar
library assistant
medical secretary
legal secretary
school secretary
legal secretary
parking officer
In 2007, the designated administration workforce stood at an estimated
2,561,000, and the specialist administration workforce at an estimated
1,456,000 11. Together, they are estimated to add up to 4,017,000.
3.1.3 Self-administration
All professionals, managers and technical specialists are required to carry out
some administrative functions as part of their job responsibilities, although
administration is not the main purpose of their job. However, not all of these
individuals carry out their own administration, as many will employ
administrators. This makes it difficult to accurately estimate the size of this
secondary administration workforce.
Police officers are just one occupational group that has to complete a large
amount of administrative duties as part of their job. An independent review of the
British Police Force, suggests just 10% of policing tasks require fully trained
police officers 12. The interim report draws particular attention to ‘Stop and
Account’ 13, stating that:
“For example, a force submission to the Review described how they
had produced over 79,000 Stop and Account forms in 2006, from
which the administration and recording processes has been estimated
at 25 minutes per submission. Across the force this would equate to
32,916 hours of process work, or a full-time commitment of 16 staff
members dedicated to filling and processing Stop and Account
forms.” 14
In the current situation, police officers require a range of administrative skills in
order to carry out up to 90% of their tasks. If the proposed recommendations to
reduce the administrative tasks undertaken by police officers are acted on, there
11 Employment numbers have been calculated from Labour Force Survey data, which is based on
SOC2000. Labour Force Survey Data is available from the Office for National Statistics
12 BBC News 24 (2008)
13 ‘Stop and Account’ is a procedure where police officers stop members of the public and ask them to
account for their actions, behaviour, presence in an area and/or possession of anything. See
Hampshire Constabulary website:
http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/rightinfo/foi/informationclasses/stopsearch.htm
14 Flanagan (2007): p.15
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will be a requirement for the training of specialist administrators who have
specialist knowledge of police processes and legislation.
Professionals who need to carry out administrative functions as part of their role
can be involved in the following 15:
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Communicating effectively
Dealing with contacts
Managing own diary and travel arrangements
Managing and storing information
Planning and managing own workload
Planning and organising meetings
Using office equipment
Using IT to support role
Self-employed owners of micro businesses or ‘zero-employee’ businesses need to
personally undertake the administrative tasks of a business. Like professionals,
self-employed workers require all of the skills required of administrators.
The majority of the information on skill needs, skills gaps and SSVs, provided in
section 5, relate directly to the skills required by designated and specialist
administrators, rather than to those who sit within the secondary administration
market. A large amount of the research on skills is secondary, based on research
reports compiled by the LSC, Future Skills Wales, Future Skills Scotland and
DELNI. With the exception of the LSC, the research carried out by these bodies
fails to examine directly the requirements for administration skills by individuals
in all occupations.
3.2 Size and Profile of Workforce
The primary market, up to level 7 (level 11 in the SCQF), consists of 4.43 million
people who are responsible for the business, administration and governance
functions in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. At level 8 (level 12 in
the SCQF), Companies House estimates there are 7 million registered
directorships. This market includes the following.
•
•
•
Approximately 7.4 million strategic decision-makers, comprising registered
directors, company and chartered secretaries
1,456,000 specialist administrators who, in addition to general
administration skills, also need sector-specific knowledge to fulfil their job
roles
2,561,000 designated administrators who need generic administration
skills to fulfil their job roles
Broken down by level, this primary workforce includes:
Level 8 (level 12 in the SCQF) – Directors
• 7 million registered directorships at Companies House
Level 7 (level 11 in the SCQF)
• 412,000 chief executives, chartered secretaries and company secretaries
Levels 4–6 (levels 6–8 in the SCQF)
• 465,000 administration managers, office managers and operations
managers
• 369,000 personal assistants, public service administrative professionals
and other secretaries
15 CfA Self-administration NOS
©2008 CfA
Page 15
Level 3 (levels 6 and 7 in the SCQF)
• 233,000 sector administrators, specialist secretaries and technical
specialists
Up to level 2 (level 5 in the SCQF)
• 2,709,000 administrators, clerks and receptionists
• 241,000 post-room workers, mail sorters, messenger couriers and
elementary office workers
The governance workforce is made up of those working at levels 7 and 8 (levels
11 and 12 in the SCQF). The legal responsibilities of the governance workforce
distinguish strategic decision-makers from managerial administrative roles, which
exist at levels 4–6 16. All of the level 3 (level 6 and 7 in the SCQF) workforce
specialise either in a sector or technical area. With the exception of registered
directors, the single largest group of administrators work at level 2 (level 5 in the
SCQF) or below. It is believed that administrators begin to specialise at level 2.
The administration workforce is larger than any of the 25 SSCs (only one SSC
tops 3 million – Skillsmart Retail, with a projected workforce of 3,351,000 in
2014).
The secondary market consists of 14.4 million people who work as professionals,
managers and technical specialists in the public, private and not-for-profit
sectors, and 3,698 million self-employed people who are all required to have a
range of Business & Administration skills.
3.2.1 The Administration Workforce
Workforces, generally, are extremely dynamic, fluctuating continuously.
Examination of Labour Force Survey data, based on SOC2000 codes17, has
provided information on changes in the size of the administration workforce since
2001 (see figure 1 and table 2). Due to limited information on the highest-level
workforce, which consists of level 8 (level 12 in the SCQF) directors, information
on changes in the size of the workforce refers to administration up to level 7
(level 11 in the SCQF).
Figure 1: Changes in the size of the administration workforce, 2001–2007
4700
4600
Workforce (000s)
4500
4400
4300
4200
4100
4000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Year
16 CfA (2002): p.12
17 The Office for National Statistics website
©2008 CfA
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Table 2: Administration as a proportion of total employment, 2001–2007
Year
Total Administration
Workforce (000s)
% of Total
Employment
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
4656
4574
4586
4513
4512
4484
4429
17.0%
16.6%
16.5%
16.1%
16.0%
15.8%
15.6%
Note: Figures are for designated and specialist administrators combined
The administration workforce up to level 7 (level 11 in the SCQF), makes up a
considerable proportion of the total UK workforce. However, this proportion is
seen to be declining, having fallen from 17.0% of the workforce in 2001, to
15.6% in 2007. Yet Gordon Yates’ research showed that, between 2006 and
2007, companies (mainly in London) in fact increased the size of their
administration workforces.
Table 3: Over the last 12 months, has your company increased or decreased its
number of support staff? 18
Increased
Decreased
No Change
Net Increase (actual)
2006
2007
36%
13%
51%
23%
38%
11%
51%
27%
In 2007, the percentage of companies who had increased the number of
administrative staff had grown on the previous year. Also, the percentage of
companies who had decreased the number of administrative staff had reduced.
Consequently, contradictory to the Labour Force Survey data, the demand for
administrators appears to be growing.
Either way, as discussed in section 6, a reduction in the size of the administration
workforce should not be taken to mean that administration will provide poor
career prospects in the future. The large replacement demand in administration,
means that the net demand for skilled administrators, in the decade ending 2014,
is almost 1.2 million. Also, as mentioned below, the size of the self-administration
workforce is growing rapidly.
Data from the LSC, Future Skills Scotland, Future Skills Wales and DELNI, provide
information on how the administration workforce varies between the four nations
of the UK.
18 Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.24
©2008 CfA
Page 17
Table 4: The size of the administration workforce in the four nations of the UK 19
Country
Year
Administration
as % of Total
Employment
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
2005
2006
2005
2005
14%
13%
11%
13%
Approximate
Size of
Administration
Workforce
3,031,000
271,500
118,000
96,000
Note: Figures include both designated and specialist administrators
The size of the administration workforce varies in each of the four UK nations,
which is in excess of 3 million in England, and less than 100,000 in Northern
Ireland. However, these differences largely reflect the differences in the size of
the workforce generally in each country, with administration representing
between 11% (in Wales) and 14% (in England) of the entire working population,
in 2005.
3.2.2 Self-administration Workforce
Figure 2: Changes in the size of the self-employed workforce, 2001–2007 20
b) Potential Self-administrators
a) Self-employed
14500
Number of employees (000's)
Number of self-employed (000's)
3800
3700
3600
3500
3400
3300
3200
3100
14000
13500
13000
12500
12000
3000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Year
2005
2006
2007
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Year
Table 5: Self-employment in the four nations, 2006 21
England
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Wales
Total
Approximate Number of Selfemployed
3,064,800*
258,200
123,000
177,000
3,622,000
*Data specific to England was unavailable and was calculated by
subtracting figures for the other nations from total selfemployment
19 Data is taken from the following sources: LSC (2006a): p.68; Future Skills Scotland (2007): p.14;
Future Skills Wales (2006): p.40 and DELNI (2007): p.4. When added together, these figures show
slight variation from the figures calculated by the CfA based on Labour Force Survey data. Differences
in data are most likely due to the narrow definition of administration used by these sources
20 Self-employment numbers have been calculated from Labour Force Survey figures, based on
SOC2000, available at the Office for National Statistics
21 Data was obtained from multiple sources: Department for Enterprise, Trade & Investment (2007):
p.23; National Statistics for Wales (2007) and The Scottish Government Statistics (2007): p.15
©2008 CfA
Page 18
As shown in table 5, a large number of people are self-employed in all four
nations of the UK, although the majority of self-employed are in England.
While the administration workforce has slowly decreased in size, the size of this
secondary administration workforce has grown considerably. As advances in
technology allow for people to carry out more of their own administration, we can
see a shift in the market for administration skills from designated and specialist
administrators, to self-administrators.
3.2.3 Administrative Workforce in Sectors
Because of the cross-sector nature of administration, there are administrators,
strategic decision-makers and other professionals carrying out administrative
functions in every industry represented by the SSCs in the UK.
Table 6 shows the percentage of the designated and specialist administrative
workforce within each sector 22.
Table 6: The size of the administration workforce in each of the 25 SSCs
SSCs
Financial Services
Government Skills
Skills for Justice
Skills for Health
Asset Skills
Automotive Skills
Lifelong Learning UK
Skills for Logistics
SkillsActive
Energy and Utility Skills
Cogent
ProSkills
SEMTA
Skillfast
Skills for Care and Development
Summit Skills
Construction Skills
Creative and Cultural Skills
E-skills
Go Skills
Improve Ltd
Lantra
Skillset
Skillsmart Retail
People 1st
% of Sector
Workforce
31
29
19
15
14
14
14
12
11
10
9
8
8
8
8
7
7
7
7
7
6
6
6
6
6
The financial services sector has the largest administration workforce, making up
approximately 31% of the sector’s total workforce. In fact, in 2007, the Financial
Services Skills Council (FSSC) reported the administration workforce to be larger
still, accounting for 46% of the total workforce. They state that:
22 SSDA Sector Skills Matrix
©2008 CfA
Page 19
“Financial services involve an enormous amount of administrative work
which is crucial to managing data and information, conducting and
tracking transactions, facilitating communications and ensuring
regulatory compliance.” 23
The administration workforce is smallest in Improve Ltd, Lantra, Skillset,
Skillsmart Retail Ltd and People 1st, making up just 6% of the workforce.
However, while the designated and specialist administrative workforces are low in
these sectors, a significant proportion of the workforce are required to carry out a
range of Business & Administration functions and require this skill set.
3.3 Age of Workforce
3.3.1 Designated and Specialist Administrators
Figure 3: Age breakdown of administration occupations, 2006 24
30%
25%
25%
23%
23%
20%
20%
15%
10%
5%
4%
4%
1%
0%
16-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70+
Age
Over 25% of administrators are over the age of 50, and so are due to retire
within the next 15 years. 27% of administrators are under the ages of 30. The
remaining 48% are aged between 30 and 49, which makes up the majority of
administrators.
3.3.2 Self-employed Workforce
The single largest group of self-employed are aged between 45 and 54 years old.
Around 1 in every 4 is aged between 35 and 44, and 1 in 5 between 55 and 64
years old.
23 FSSC (2007): p.43
24 Data is available from the NOMIS (www.nomisweb.co.uk)
©2008 CfA
Page 20
Figure 4: Age breakdown of the self-employed workforce, 2006 25
35%
30%
30%
26%
25%
20%
20%
14%
15%
10%
5%
7%
3%
0%
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Age
3.4 Working Hours
3.4.1 Strategic Decision-makers
Some strategic decision-maker roles are full time, such as CEO and executive
director, while others, such as chair, non-executive director and company
secretary, are usually part-time positions.
3.4.2 Designated and Specialist Administrators
By definition of the role, administrators are required to work the standard work
hours (9am to 5pm), needing to cover the telephone or reception area during
core hours. This also means that personal assistants and secretaries need to be
present in the office when their director or manager is not, in order to maintain
the administration function. It is very difficult to undertake some of these
administration functions from home, because of the reliance on effective IT
systems and significant cultural change.
Findings from the 2007 CfA administrator survey confirmed this. 41% of
administrators said they start work at 9am, and another 44% said they start work
between 8am and 8.45am. When asked what time they finish work, 34% said
5pm.
Gordon Yates presented similar findings to support this 26. 35% of employers were
reported as having no support staff who work non-standard hours or days. A
further 35% of employers were reported as having less than 10% of their support
staff working non-standard hours.
While traditionally, and by definition, administration staff are required to work
standard working hours, more recent developments in administration job roles
have resulted in the concept of the ‘virtual assistant’ 27. A virtual assistant does
not work in the same locality as the person they report to, usually working from
home or occupying a ‘hot desk’ within an organisation.
Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) use virtual assistants, as they are
able to assist with administration support when needed in busy times (or perhaps
when administrators are on sick leave or annual leave) and can therefore justify
the cost, which can be £15–£25 per hour, depending on the service required.
SMEs also do not have as much physical desk space or administration workload,
25 Data is available from the NOMIS (www.nomisweb.co.uk)
26 Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.22
27 See the Virtual Office Management Services website www.virtual-oms.co.uk
©2008 CfA
Page 21
and so, therefore, virtual assistants can supply a service which meets the needs
of SMEs efficiently.
3.5 Disability and Ethnicity in the Workforce
Qualification statistics show that a larger proportion of disabled people undertake
Business & Administration courses than any other subject 28. This in itself is
interesting, but further research is required to explore the number of disabled
individuals that are working in administrative roles.
3.5.1 Administrators and Specialists
Both within the labour market as well as within education, ethnic minorities are
represented in proportion to national demographics in Business &
Administration 29.
Working terms and conditions for refugees tend to be poor, earning less money
and are concentrated in particular industries, such as catering and administrative
work 30.
Between May 2004 and March 2007, the majority of registered workers from the
accession countries (37%), applied for positions in administration, business and
management. 31
Table 7: Registered workers from the accession countries working in
administration, business and management 32
2004*
2005
2006
Registered Workers Employed
in Administration, Business
31,235
74,480
99,125
and Management
% of All Registered Workers in
Employment
25%
36%
44%
*Data for 2004 is for the part year May to December
In 2006, 99,125 registered workers were employed in administration, business
and management, up from 74,480. As well as growing in number, the proportion
of registered workers working in administration, business and management was
also seen to increase from an estimated 25% in 2004 to 44% in 2006.
Between May 2004 and March 2007, Poland provided the largest number of
migrant workers going into administration (67%). 33
28
29
30
31
32
33
©2008 CfA
CfA Vision (2006)
CfA (2006) The CfA Vision
Stanfield et al (2004): p.24
Border and Immigration Agency et al (2007): p.13
Border and Immigration Agency et al (2007): p.14
Border and Immigration Agency et al (2007): p.23
Page 22
3.5.2 Self-employed
Table 8 shows the ethnic breakdown of the self-employed workforce in the UK. 34
Table 8: Self-employed workforce by ethnicity
Self-employed as a Percentage of All
in Work
Chinese
Pakistani
Indian
Bangladeshi
Other Asian
White
Other Ethnicity
Black African
Black Caribbean
Black Other
1991
2001
27.2
23.9
20.0
18.6
9.8
12.8
13.8
8.1
6.0
8.2
25.5
22.4
16.9
15.2
15.1
13.4
12.2
9.5
8.2
7.0
3.6 Gender of Workforce
In levels 2–4 (level 5–8 in the SCQF) administration roles, there is a gender bias
towards women. Administration carries with it a stereotype, traditionally seen as
a ‘female’ role in the workplace, therefore making it difficult to attract men into
these roles, although it is becoming easier over time. At the strategic levels,
however, the gender imbalance lies the other way, with a higher proportion of
males working in governance positions.
Figures show that: 35
•
•
•
•
•
At level 1 (level 4 in the SCQF), 60% of administration roles are taken by
women
At level 2 (level 5 in the SCQF), 70% of administration roles are taken by
women
At level 3 (levels 6 and 7 in the SCQF), 80% of administration roles are
taken by women
At level 4 (level 8 in the SCQF), 70% of administration roles are taken by
women
At levels 5, 6 and 7 (levels 9–11 in the SCQF) only 20% of roles are taken
by women, although this is beginning to change
Women in Business & Administration roles are above the national average
percentage for all job roles, except at Level 5 (level 9 in the SCQF). Men in
Business & Administration roles are below the national average percentage for all
job roles, except at levels 4 and 5 (levels 8 and 9 in the SCQF).
Within national and local government, men are found to be working in many more
administration roles than any other kind of employer. Public sector job titles are
phrased differently. The word ‘officer’ is used far more than ‘assistant’, for
example. It is possible that the difference in job title removes the stigma
traditionally associated with administration.
34 Data is available from the NOMIS, available at: www.nomisweb.co.uk
35 CfA Functional and Occupational Map (2007)
©2008 CfA
Page 23
3.7 Retention and Labour Turnover
Surveys of administrators carried out by CfA showed that: 36
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
85% of administrators found their job challenging
Only 27% of administrators found their job pressured
95% of administrators found their job enjoyable
Only 12% of administrators found their job boring
88% of administrators believed that their job was valued by others
85% of administrators believed that their job role was supported by others
96% of administrators believed that their job was important to the success
of the business
Gordon Yates’ research explores the retention and turnover of the administration
workforce 37.
Table 9: How long have you worked for your current employer? 38
Less than a year
1 to 3 years
3 to 5 years
5 to 10 years
More than 10 years
16%
35%
16%
19%
14%
The largest proportion of administrators have worked for their current employer
for one to three years. 84% have remained with the same employer for over a
year, suggesting stability in the administrative workforce.
Table 10: Employers who take specific measures to encourage administrative
staff to stay longer in the company 39
Take Measures to Encourage
Staff to Stay
Do Not Take Measures to
Encourage Staff to Stay
25%
75%
Just 25% of employers were found to encourage administrative staff to stay with
the company. Considering the general stability of the administration workforce,
this is not surprising.
Retention tools for administrators can be described as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
36
37
38
39
©2008 CfA
Salary reviews and incremental pay increases
Performance and target related bonuses
Regular appraisals and target setting
Training and development (both professional and personal)
Management responsibilities
Broader task responsibilities
Career progression
CfA Occupational Map (2008)
Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.23
Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.23
Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.23
Page 24
4. Drivers of Skill Demand and its Impact
4.1 External Drivers
4.1.1 Globalisation
Globalisation has brought major changes, which have an impact on those working
within the business and administrative context. These changes can include such
developments as: improved world communications through information flows
based on technological advances, travel and migration; increases in cross-border
trade and economic competition, involving a wide range of products and services
and national governments working together towards common environmental,
health and security goals 40.
It is argued that globalisation is increasing the value of skills and that there is a
need for economies to ensure that their workforce is flexible and skilled enough
to take advantage of changes in technology and capable of moving into new
areas of work 41.
With the introduction of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), there is
clearly a move towards validating qualifications for use across many countries, to
aid mobility in the labour market.
The CfA is developing a Business & Administration International Vocational
Education Group, to discuss these issues with the equivalent bodies in other
nations. The remit of this group will be explored in the Supply Needs Assessment
Report.
With the increase in flexibility and movement of labour internationally, there is an
increasing demand for foreign language skills. When UK citizens work abroad,
administration is the most common occupation that offers temporary work, as
long as the worker can handle the language of the particular country.
Administrators who work for global organisations will find that various parts of the
organisation with which they need to communicate, as part of their every day job
role, are located in a variety of countries. Therefore, they may judge it necessary
to become proficient in languages other than English.
Administrators coming to the UK for work must have excellent English (both
written and verbal) in order to compete in the workplace. Consequently, there is
a strong demand for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) provision
specifically supporting administrators.
The LSC, however, has recently announced that, in England, from 2007/08, free
ESOL tuition will only be available to priority groups, which excludes migrant
workers. This decision seems especially unfortunate when considering that, over
time, migrant workers are becoming core rather than peripheral employees within
the UK workforce.
4.1.2 Technological Change
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is essential for administration
roles. The use of IT software, such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases,
presentations, email and Internet browsers, has become central to the role of the
40 Tomorrow Project (2006)
41 HM Treasury (2005): p.16
©2008 CfA
Page 25
administrator. IT changes and updates happen quickly, and it is essential that
administrators ensure that their IT skills are up to date.
Computers exist in the workplace not just as PCs, but include a range of everyday
office equipment, such as photocopiers, printers and fax machines. Research
carried out by Felstead et al, examined the use of such computerised equipment
in the workplace.
Table 11: Percentage of administrative and secretarial staff using computerised or
automated equipment in their job, 1986–2006 42
Using Computerised or
Automated Equipment
1986
1992
2001
2006
61.5%
81.0%
95.8%
97.2%
Over the past two decades, the use of computerised and office equipment in the
workplace has increased considerably, to the point that, in 2006, almost all
administrative and secretarial staff use computerised or automated equipment.
In 2006, 82% of administrative and secretarial workers were found to regard the
use of computerised equipment as essential in their job 43. 28% of administrators
and secretarial workers were most likely to use computerised equipment in an
advanced or complex way 44.
Managerial, professional and administrative and secretarial occupations witnessed
a rise in the proportion that make advanced or complex use of computerised
equipment, and a sharp decline among those making simple applications.
Figure 5: Administrative and secretarial staff using computers or computerised
equipment in an advanced/complex or simple way, 1997–2006
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
Advanced/complex
Simple
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
1997
2001
2006
Year
Between 1997 and 2006, there has been a transition from simple use of
computerised equipment to more advanced or complex use of computerised
42 Felstead et al (2007): p.105
43 Felstead et al (2007): p.98
44 Felstead et al (2007): p.114
©2008 CfA
Page 26
equipment. This reflects the extent to which computerised equipment has become
an integrated part of the office environment.
4.1.3 Government Policy
The LSC’s response to the Leitch Report, detailed the importance of cross-sectoral
standard setting bodies in achieving England’s targets of 45:
•
•
•
•
•
95% of adults to have basic skills of functional literacy and numeracy
At least 90% of adults to have completed a level 2 qualification
Shift the balance of intermediate skills from level 2 to level 3, with 1.9
million further completions of level 3 qualifications
Have 500,000 people per year in apprenticeships
More than 40% of adults to hold a level 4 or above qualification 46
The administrative workforce is largely over the age of 25, and has, therefore,
completed their general education. There is limited funding available for adults,
unless companies or individuals are prepared to pay for training and qualifications
themselves.
Consequently, there is a large proportion of the workforce that does not have
qualifications, is not offered training by their employers and is not eligible for
public funded training. This major problem across the occupational area will also
be explored in the supply assessment.
As demonstrated previously, the workforce is ageing, and it is important to
ensure there are a sufficient number of young people entering the workforce to
replace those entering retirement.
Qualification registration is dependant on government funding, and, if Business &
Administration is not seen as a priority sector, it will be difficult to ensure that
funding rates do not decrease and that young people are not discouraged from
entering this occupation for a future career.
4.2 International Benchmarking
The CfA carries out international benchmarking projects on a regular basis, to
ensure that the very best world-class practices can be collected and applied to
the development of Business, Administration and Governance standards in the
UK. International benchmarking supports best employment and occupational
practices, and it supports the development of world-class standards for business
support workers in both in the public and private sectors (including multinational, large, medium, small and micro businesses), across the UK.
Since 2002, the CfA has carried out international benchmarking projects with the
following countries:
•
•
•
•
•
Australia
Germany
Japan
New Zealand
Sweden
The CfA also carries out benchmarking with high-performing national and global
organisations.
45 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007): p.9
46 Leitch Report (2007)
©2008 CfA
Page 27
During 2008, the CfA will be carrying out an international benchmarking project
to investigate and evaluate three vital areas, recognised across the world as
areas of best practice: Finland, Hong Kong and Financial Times Stock Exchange
(FTSE) Top 100 and 250 Indexes. Finland and Hong Kong were selected because
both countries have consistently been the two top performing countries in
vocational numeracy, literacy and problem-solving in the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) studies over the past five years. To
triangulate these findings, the CfA also intends to benchmark business,
administration and governance practice in at least five companies from the FTSE
Top 100 and 250 Indexes.
©2008 CfA
Page 28
5. Character and Composition of Current Skills
Needs
5.1 Overview of Required Skills
5.1.1 Strategic Decision-makers
The personal attributes used in the CfA Governance standards are based on the
leadership dimensions framework developed and validated by Professor Victor
Dulewicz and Professor Malcolm Higgs, from Henley Management College. 47
The framework identifies three sub-groups of attributes applicable to the
governance workforce: intellectual dimensions, managerial dimensions and
emotional and social dimensions.
The intellectual dimensions include the following attributes:
•
•
•
Critical analysis and judgement
Vision and imagination
Strategic perspective
The managerial dimensions include:
•
•
•
•
•
Resource management
Engaging communication
Empowering;
Developing
Achieving
The emotional and social dimensions include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-awareness
Emotional resilience
Intuitiveness
Interpersonal sensitivity
Motivation
Conscientiousness
These are skills and qualities that are acquired, over time, in positions of
responsibility.
5.1.2 Designated Administrators
The 2007 CfA employers survey identified skill areas required of administrators at
different levels. Table 12, below, shows the 6 most important skills required at
each level, in order of priority.
47 CfA (2007): pp.46–48
©2008 CfA
Page 29
Table 12: The main skills required by administrators
Level
Junior (equivalent to NQF
level 1, SCQF level 4)
Intermediate (equivalent
to NQF levels 2 and 3,
SCQF levels 5–7)
Senior (equivalent to NQF
level 4, SCQF level 8)
Skill and Task Areas
IT
Managing information
Communication
Literacy
Handling mail
Numeracy
IT
Managing information
Banking/dealing with money
Planning and organising
People management
Communication
IT
People management
Planning and organising
Financial understanding/budgets
Communication
Managing information
At junior level, skills in IT, managing information, verbal communication, literacy
and mail handling, were quoted as being among the most important.
At intermediate and senior levels, skills in IT and managing information continue
to be among the most important, while other skill/task areas gain higher priority.
At intermediate levels, skills in organising/planning and people management
become more important, and at senior level there is greater requirement for skills
and knowledge relating to finance and budgets.
Overall, the highest proportion of both employers and administrators ranked skills
in IT to be the most important skills within an administrative role, although 47%
of administrators, compared with 23% of employers, prioritised this skill.
In reality, the priority of particular skills is likely to differ depending on the actual
job role of administrators.
Research, carried out by the CfA, found that employers believe it important to
have a well-skilled administration workforce. It was shown that 48:
•
•
98% of employers agreed that training and development was important in
delivering an administration strategy effectively
67% of employers agreed that formal qualifications are important in
delivering an administration strategy effectively
Planning and Organisation Skills
Planning and organisation skills are required by administrators at all levels. In
2008, a CfA survey with managerial administrators was commissioned to identify
the tasks carried out by administrators that require planning and organisation
skills.
At level 1 (SCQF level 4), there is less of a requirement for planning and
organisation skills than at higher levels. Working effectively with others requires
planning and organisation skills at all levels, including level 1 (SCQF level 4),
48 CfA (2006) The CfA Vision
©2008 CfA
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however, other tasks being carried out at this level mostly require a lesser degree
of planning and organisation skills.
From level 2 (SCQF level 5) onwards, planning and organisation skills are
required by the majority of administrators for a greater number of tasks. These
include producing documents, diary management, managing information and
researching information.
Table 13: Tasks carried out by administrators requiring planning and organisation
skills
Tasks Requiring Organising and Planning
Skills
Work effectively with others
Producing documents
Diary management
Information management
Researching information
Organise meetings and events
Organise business travel and accommodation
Processing financial transactions
Operating credit control
Supervising an office
Implementing change
Payroll
Running projects
Producing a presentation
Delivering a presentation
Managing an office
Managing contracts
Managing projects
Negotiating and agreeing budgets
No staff at level
None
Other
Level
1
2
3
4
68%
38%
33%
29%
29%
10%
10%
9%
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
1%
17%
7%
1%
83%
65%
66%
67%
58%
40%
32%
26%
13%
18%
14%
10%
14%
19%
10%
10%
5%
4%
2%
6%
3%
0%
89%
82%
88%
85%
77%
77%
71%
55%
45%
63%
45%
46%
48%
56%
43%
48%
30%
30%
21%
4%
0%
1%
92%
89%
92%
94%
89%
88%
79%
78%
71%
87%
80%
73%
81%
80%
77%
79%
69%
69%
67%
2%
0%
1%
Note: Numbers over 50% are in bold red
From level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7) onward, the majority of administrators also
require these skills to organise meetings and events, organise business travel and
accommodation, supervising an office facility, producing presentations and
processing financial transactions.
At level 4 (SCQF level 8), planning and organisation skills are required to carry
out all administrative tasks.
Managing Information
One in four level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators are required to manage
information. At levels 2 (SCQF level 5) and 4 (SCQF level 8), over half manage
information, but at level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7), two thirds are required to
manage information.
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Table 14: The level at which administrators are required to manage information
Which Level are Expected
to Manage Info
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
%
24
54
66
53
When asked to state at which level this task was carried out the most, 44% said
level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7), 25% said level 2 (SCQF level 5) and 25% said level
4 (SCQF level 8).
Figure 6: The level at which the task of answering customer queries is carried out
the most
Level 1
6%
Level 4
25%
Level 2
25%
Level 3
44%
The survey looked to further explore how the skills required to manage
information vary at each level.
At all levels, the majority of administrators require skills in literacy, verbal and
written communication, keen attention to detail, using IT, ability to quickly learn,
numeracy, personal organisation and using initiative. Other skills, such as
knowledge of regulations and legislation, research, monitoring, creativity and
planning, also become important for this task, from level 2 (SCQF level 5) up.
As was seen with answering queries, level 4 (SCQF level 8) administrators require
the greatest breadth and depth of all these skills, even though information
management becomes a lesser part of their role. 91% of level 4 (SCQF level 8)
administrators require knowledge of regulations and legislation, compared with
83% of level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7) administrators, and just 56% of level 2
(SCQF level 5) administrators. This suggests that, as administrators become
more senior, they are required to manage more confidential information.
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Figure 7: The skills required by administrators to manage information
87%
78%
Planning
52%
20%
88%
78%
Creativity
55%
27%
84%
78%
Monitoring
57%
29%
90%
80%
Research
58%
30%
91%
83%
Knowledge of regulations and
legislation
56%
35%
82%
78%
Problem solving
62%
37%
87%
82%
73%
Initiative
54%
82%
81%
Personal organisation
72%
55%
85%
80%
73%
Numeracy
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
57%
85%
82%
75%
Ability to quickly learn
60%
92%
86%
80%
Using IT
63%
92%
88%
79%
Keen attention to detail
66%
93%
89%
83%
Written communication
67%
93%
89%
84%
Verbal communication
71%
95%
92%
86%
Literacy
75%
0%
20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
IT Skills
Like planning and organisation skills, IT skills are required by administrators at all
levels. The 2008 survey identified the IT skills required of administrators at the
different levels.
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Figure 8: The IT skill requirements of Level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators (such
as office juniors)
Word processing
Information
exchange/email
Internet Browser
Spreadsheets
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
None
Database
Presentation software
Specialist/bespoke
software
Artwork/imaging
software
Website Design
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators need to use a range of IT software
packages, although mostly at just a basic level.
90% of level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators need to use word processing
software, 64% with basic competency and 24% with intermediate competency.
Similarly, 87% need to use IT to exchange information. 58% require just basic
competency in this area and 26% require intermediate competency.
Level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators are also required to use Internet browsers,
spreadsheets and databases, the majority at a basic level.
A minority of level 1 (SCQF level 4) administrators are required to use
specialist/bespoke software, artwork/imaging software and website design
software. Of those that are required to use IT in these ways, most require just
basic skills.
©2008 CfA
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Figure 9: The IT requirements of Level 2 (SCQF level 5) administrators (such as
administrators, receptionists clerical assistants and filing clerks)
Information
exchange/email
Word processing
Internet Browser
Spreadsheets
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
None
Database
Presentation software
Specialist/bespoke
software
Artwork/imaging
software
Website Design
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Over 90% of level 2 (SCQF level 5) administrators require some level of
competency with information exchange/email software, word processing
software, Internet browsers and spreadsheets. The majority of administrators at
this level are expected to have intermediate competency in these IT areas.
Basic or intermediate knowledge of databases and presentation software also
becomes more important at level 2 (SCQF level 5) compared with level 1 (SCQF
level 4).
There is also a much greater demand at level 2 (SCQF level 5) for basic or
intermediate skills using artwork/imaging software, website design software and
specialist/bespoke software. However, compared with email, word processing,
Internet browsers and spreadsheets, these areas are not a great priority.
©2008 CfA
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Figure 10: The IT requirements of Level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7) administrators
(such as personal assistants, senior administrators and secretaries)
Information
exchange/email
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Internet Browser
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
None
Database
Presentation software
Specialist/bespoke
software
Artwork/imaging
software
Website Design
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
At level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7), there is a larger requirement for IT knowledge in
all areas, and generally at an advanced level of competency.
Over 50% of level 3 (SCQF level 6 and 7) administrators are expected to have
advanced skills in spreadsheets, word processing and email.
Figure 11: The IT requirements of Level 4 (SCQF level 8) administrators (such as
office managers, senior personal assistants and senior secretaries)
Information
exchange/email
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Internet Browser
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
None
Database
Presentation software
Specialist/bespoke
software
Artwork/imaging
software
Website Design
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
At level 4 (SCQF level 8), an advanced knowledge is required of all IT software.
Over 80% require advanced skills using email and word processing software.
Over 70% require advanced skills in databases, Internet browsers and
spreadsheets, and over 50% need advanced knowledge of specialist/bespoke
software and artwork/imaging software.
©2008 CfA
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As administrators progress from lower to higher levels, there is a clear need for
them to both broaden and advance their IT skills.
Most skills demanded of administrators are across roles, but differ in degree
according to the role and, to a certain extent, the size of the organisation.
Roles in smaller organisations will have a broader range of responsibilities than
the same role in a larger organisation. This is the same regardless of level, so
both an office junior and an office manager will find that their roles demand far
more skills in a smaller organisation than in a larger organisation.
The advantage of the skills developed within administration is that they are skills
that are essential in many other occupations. This ensures that administrators
have a good grounding of underpinning skills that will create flexibility and
mobility in their careers, should they wish to move into another occupation.
The skills demanded are seen as cross-sector, and it is important that they are
developed in the context that they are used in. Numeracy in administration, for
example, is very different from numeracy in construction.
5.1.3 Specialist Administrators
Like designated administrators, specialist administrators require a wide range of
Business & Administration skills, including communication, literacy, numeracy,
problem-solving, decision-making, customer service and information
management skills. In addition, they will generally have highly developed IT skills
and specialist skills and knowledge specific to the sector in which they work.
Table 15: Examples of the knowledge required by specialist administrators
Specialist Roles
HR administrator
sales/marketing administrator
property administrator
finance administrator
registrar
medical secretary
legal secretary
school secretary
Specialist Knowledge Required
human resources knowledge, such as
recruitment legislation and data protection
marketing knowledge
legislation knowledge
knowledge of finance
knowledge of finance
medical terminology
legal terminology and processes
legislation relating to children
5.1.4 Other Professionals
The skills required of those who carry out their own administrative functions
include 49:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication
Interpersonal skills
Managing information
Negotiating
Planning and organising
Presentation
Problem-solving
Using IT
49 CfA Self Administration NOS Development Research (2005)
©2008 CfA
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These are skills that are essential to the functioning of day-to-day activities, as
well as to those who are self-employed and need these skills to run their
businesses effectively.
5.2 Skills Shortages
Skills shortages are a lack of specific skills in the marketplace which result in
vacancies which are hard to fill.
Gordon Yates present findings that suggest employers are finding it increasingly
difficult to recruit suitably qualified administrative staff 50. In 2007, 30% of
companies reported that they find it increasingly difficult to recruit skilled support
staff, compared with 25% of staff the previous year.
Research by the LSC, Future Skills Scotland, Future Skills Wales and the DELNI,
has examined the extent of skills shortages in the UK. Identification of skills
shortages provides a means of understanding the skills demanded by employers.
5.2.1 England
The National Employment Skills Survey (NESS), carried out by the LSC, in 2006,
presented data on skills shortages as identified by employers in England, in 2005.
The South East and Yorkshire and Humberside Regional LSCs have also published
data on SSVs and skills gaps, but this is not discussed here, as there a few
differences to the UK as a whole.
Table 16: Overall distribution of vacancies and recruitment difficulties in
administration 51
All England
Administration
Only
Administration
as % of All of
England
Vacancies
HtFVs
SSVs
HtFVs as
% of
Vacancies
573,900
200,000
143,125
39
25
SSVs
as %
of
HtFVs
72
69,625
14,000
10,225
20
15
73
12
7
7
SSVs as
% of
Vacancies
Note: The NESS measured SSVs, initially, through an unprompted question asking for the reasons for
vacancies being hard to fill, and then through a follow-up prompted question if skills, experience or
qualifications were not initially mentioned. The data presented is the sum of both prompted and
unprompted responses
In England, the number of vacancies for administrative staff is relatively high,
compared with other occupations. That said, employers find most administrative
vacancies fairly easy to fill, with administration accounting for the second
smallest number of HtFVs and SSVs. Approximately 14,000 vacancies in
administration are hard to fill, accounting for around 20% of all vacancies. A very
small proportion of administration job vacancies are a result of skill shortages
(15% compared with 25% overall), and there are just 3 SSVs per every 1,000
employees, compared with the overall average of 7 per every 1,000 52.
50 Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.22
51 LSC (2006a): p.33
52 LSC (2006a): p.32
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The NESS reports data which suggests that, generally, HtFVs which are not skillsrelated have less impact on businesses than HtFVs which are skills related 53.
Within administration, SSVs account for approximately 73% of all HtFVs, almost
the same as the overall figure of 72%. Assuming that within administration it is
also true that HtFVs which are not skills-related have less impact on businesses
than HtFVs which are skills related, would suggest that at least 4 out of 5 HtFVs
in administration have a considerable impact on business. Therefore, while
compared with other occupational areas skills shortages in administration are low,
those that do exist are likely to have an impact on the businesses within which
they occur.
HtFVs can be put down to a broad range of reasons. These may include issues
over location, unsocial hours, poor career progression and applicants having poor
attitudes, to name just a few. In addition to these, there are three potential
reasons for HtFVs which may be classed as SSVs. These are a lack of the required
skills, a lack of work experience and a lack of qualifications.
Table 17: Extent to which SSVs are attributed to a lack of skills, a lack of
experience and a lack of qualifications 54
Reason for SSVs
Administration
SSVs
Skills
Experience
Qualification
68%
43%
28%
Note: Participants of the NESS were allowed to give multiple answers, which is
why the percentages add up to more than 100%
68% of SSVs in administration were attributed to a lack of skills, 43% to a lack of
experience and 28% to a lack of qualifications. It is interesting to see such a
large contrast between the lack of skills and the lack of qualifications. Ideally, one
would hope that applicants with the relevant qualifications would also have the
relevant skills, yet the data seems to suggest that the qualifications are not
providing applicants with the skills required within administration. If the number
of administration SSVs is to be reduced, focus should be primarily on skills, since
this is the largest contributing factor to SSVs. Since the obvious route to
providing applicants with skills is through qualifications, both of these contributing
factors can be tackled simultaneously.
Administrators require a broad range of skills to carry out their tasks. The NESS
also identified the different skill areas that contribute to SSVs.
53 LSC (2006a): p.42
54 LSC (2006a): pp.35–36
©2008 CfA
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Figure 12: The extent to which lacking skills areas contribute to SSVs in
administration and SSVs generally 55
Customer-handling
Technical and Practical
Oral communication
Written communication
Skill Area
Office/admin
Problem-solving
Overall
Administration
Literacy
General IT
Numeracy
Management
Team working
IT professional
Foriegnlanguage
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
35% of administration SSVs, and 22% of all SSVs, were put down to a lack of
office and administration skills. It is not surprising that a lack of office and
administration skills should be responsible for more administration SSVs than
SSVs generally. One would expect employers to be particularly interested in
applicants for administration positions to have good office and administration
skills, and, therefore, SSVs to be a result of applicants lacking these skills.
That said, it is interesting to see that a lack of office and administration skills is
not the single largest cause of administration SSVs. A lack of customer-handling
skills, technical and practical skills, oral communication skills and written
communication skills are all larger contributing factors to administration SSVs
than a lack of office and administration skills. A lack of general and professional
IT skills were also responsible for a considerably larger percentage of
administration SSVs than for SSVs generally, showing the importance of IT skills
within the administrative role. With administrators requiring such a broad range
of skills, when tackling skill shortages, attention must be paid to all of these skill
areas, not just office and administration skills.
With the exception of elementary occupations, all occupational areas encompass
a certain amount of administration. Figure 13, below, shows the contribution of
administration SSVs within each occupational area.
55 LSC (2006a): p.38
©2008 CfA
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Figure 13: The extent to which a lack of skills in office and administration skills
contribute to SSVs in different occupation areas
Overall
Administration
Occupational area
Sales
Managers
Personal service
Associate professionals
Professionals
Operatives
Skilled trades
Elementary
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
A lack of office and administration skills contributes to more SSVs in
administration than in any other occupational area. As discussed above, it is not
surprising that this should be the case. A lack of office and administration skills is
also responsible for a larger percentage of sales (28%), management (27%) and
personal service (23%) SSVs than for SSVs overall (22%). All occupational areas
examined in the NESS put a certain amount of SSVs down to a lack of office and
administration skills. The demand for office and administration skills is clearly not
just within administration itself, but spans – to a varying extent – across all
occupational sectors.
©2008 CfA
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Figure 14: Administration skill shortages as a proportion of all skill shortages in
each SSC 56
31%
Financial Services Skills Council
8%
Proskills UK
11%
7%
Creative & Cultural Skills
10%
12%
10%
Skills for Logistics
7%
e-skills UK
Sector Skills Council
16%
6%
Skillset
35%
9%
Skills for Health
8%
Lifelong Learning UK
8%
Asset Skills
8%
Go Skills
7%
8%
Energy & Utility Skills
8%
15%
14%
14%
10%
Administration as proportion of
total workforce
9%
8%
Cogent
Administration SSVs
6%
6%
Improve Ltd
SkillsActive
11%
5%
Skills for Care & Development
4%
People 1st
4%
Skillsmart Retail
4%
Automotive Skills
4%
ConstructionSkills
4%
Lantra
4%
SEMTA
3%
SummitSkills
2%
Skillfast-UK
2%
0%
5%
8%
6%
6%
14%
7%
6%
8%
7%
8%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Note: The NESS 2006 report excluded Skills for Justice and Government Skills, due to
low base sizes
The NESS examined administration SSVs within SSC. The SSC with the largest
proportion of skill shortages in administration was the FSSC, who reported 35%
of their SSVs to be within administration. Research carried out by the FSSC,
found that 23% of employers reported a shortage of skilled or experienced
56 Data on administration SSVs is sourced from LSC (2006a). Data on the size of the administration
workforce in each SSC is sourced from the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) Sector Matrix
©2008 CfA
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secretarial and administrative staff was in the top 10 of recruitment difficulties 57.
While the NESS research and the FSSC research report quite different figures,
both suggest that the financial services sector has a higher proportion of
administration skill shortages than in other sectors. Considering that
administration accounts for 31% of this sector, a much higher proportion than in
any other sector, it is expected that administration skill shortages should affect
this area more than other sectors.
Arguably of more significance, are the Proskills UK findings, where administration
is reported as accounting for 8% of occupations in this sector, but for 16% of
SSVs. Almost the same is true for Skillset, where administration accounts for 6%
of occupations and 11% (almost double) of SSVs. Other SSCs where
administration accounts for a higher proportion of skill shortages than it does
jobs, include Creative & Cultural Skills, e-skills UK and Go Skills.
5.2.2 Wales
The Future Skills Wales 2005 Sector Skills Survey presents information on skill
shortages in Wales, in 2005. Unfortunately, information specific to administration
is limited, and so only a small amount can be said about skill shortages in Wales.
Table 18: Administrative and secretarial HtFVs and SSVs 58
% Share of
% Share of
All HtFVs
All SSVs
Administrative and
5
4
Secretarial
Administrative and secretarial HtFVs account for a relatively small proportion of
HtFVs in Wales, just 5%. Similarly, administrative and secretarial SSVs account
for a relatively small proportion of SSVs.
Administration HtFVs vary in degree between different sectors. HtFVs are highest
in the land-based sector (Lantra), being over six times more than the average for
Wales (5%), at 31%. Other sectors showing higher than normal HtFVs include
GoSkills (10%), SkillsActive (8%), Skills for Health (8%), Financial Services
(6%), SEMTA (6%) and Construction Skills (6%). In relation to the other eight
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) groups, this represents the highest
share for Lantra, the second highest for GoSkills, the third highest for Financial
Services, Skills for Health, SkillsActive and SEMTA and fifth highest for
Construction Skills. While having a lower than average share of HtFVs, this group
is fourth highest in the hospitality sector (People 1st).
57 FSSC (2007)
58 Future Skills Wales, 2006: p.40
©2008 CfA
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Table 19: Administration HtFVs as a proportion of all HtFVs, by sector, in 200559
Sector
Administration as %
of Total Employment
Financial Services
People 1st
Construction Skills
Skills for Health
Proskills
GoSkills
Lantra
SkillsActive-UK
Skills for Care
SEMTA
26
4
14
12
10
9
15
11
9
7
Administration
HtFVs as % of All
HtFVs in Sector
6
2
6
8
4
10
31
8
1
6
SSVs can result from a combination of a lack of skills, a lack of qualifications and
a lack of experience. The Sector Skills Survey asked employers in Wales to
identify the causes of HtFVs. 60
Table 20: Extent to which HtFVs are attributed to a lack of skills, a lack of
experience and a lack of qualifications 61
Skills
Experience
Qualifications
Reason for Administration HtFVs
13%
13%
12%
Reasons for All HtFVs
28%
14%
14%
A lack of skills, experience and qualifications all appear to contribute equally to
SSVs in administration, qualifications contributing slightly less. It is encouraging
to see that a lack of skills contributes to far less administration HtFVs than it does
to HtFVs generally.
Employers in Wales were asked which skills areas applicants lacked.
Unfortunately, Sector Skills Survey does not break this down into different
occupational areas. That said, many of the skills covered are essential to carrying
out administrative duties, and some general conclusions can be drawn about how
a lack of different skills may contribute to administration SSVs.
59 Future Skills Wales: http://www.learningobservatory.com/fsw-2005-sector-skills-survey
60 Employers were asked to identify the reasons for HtFVs, not just SSVs. Therefore, the list of
potential reasons was far more extensive than just a lack of skills, qualifications and experience. Since
many of the causes of HtFVs do not relate to skill-shortages, they have not been discussed here
61 Note: the figures presented are a proportion of all HtFVs, not just SSVs
©2008 CfA
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Figure 15: The extent to which a lack of different skill areas contribute to skill
shortages, generally, in Wales 62
50
Other technical and practical skills
Customer handling skills
47
43
Communication skills
Problem solving skills
38
Skill area
Team working skills
36
31
Literacy skills
Using number
27
Management skills
27
General IT user skills
14
IT professional skills
13
Welsh language skills
11
Others
3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
%
Note: Multiple responses were given by respondents
A large number of the skills required in administration were found to contribute to
all SSVs in Wales. These include skills in customer handling, communication,
problem-solving, literacy, numeracy and IT. Customer-handling and
communication skills were found to be particularly lacking, a cause of 47% and
43% of SSVs, respectively. Management skills, which are required at higher levels
in administration, contribute to 27% of SSVs. While it is impossible to say to what
extent these skill areas contribute specifically to SSVs in administration, it is
apparent that a number of the skills required in administration are resulting in
SSVs generally.
5.2.3 Scotland
Research carried out by Future Skills Scotland, identified HtFVs and SSVs in 2006.
Table 21: Vacancies, HtFVs and SSVs in administration and overall 63
All Scotland
Administration
Only
Administration
as % of All of
Scotland
SSVs as % of
Vacancies
SSVs
as %
of
HtFVs
Vacancies
HtFVs
SSVs
HtFVs as % of
Vacancies
76,700
37,000
23,200
48
30
63
8,000
3,000
2,200
38
27
71
10%
8%
9%
Administration accounts for 10% of all vacancies, 8% of all HtFVs and 9% of all
SSVs in Scotland. This is encouraging, considering that administration accounts
62 Future Skills Wales, 2006: p.50
63 Future Skills Scotland, 2007: pp.14 & 22
©2008 CfA
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for 13% of employment in Scotland 64. 38% of administration vacancies are hard
to fill, lower than the proportion of all vacancies that are hard to fill (48%).
However, the proportion of HtFVs that are down to skill shortages is higher in
administration than in Scotland generally, 71% compared with 63%. As a
proportion of all vacancies rather than just HtFVs, skill shortages are slightly
lower in administration than overall.
Unfortunately, research carried out by Future Skills Scotland provides no
information on the extent to which a lack of office and administration skills
contributes to SSVs in different occupational areas or sectors.
5.2.4 Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Skills Monitoring Survey, carried out by the DELNI, presents
data on skills-shortages in Northern Ireland.
Table 22: HtFVs and SSVs in 2005 and 200265
% of Employers with
Administrative and
Secretarial
Vacancies
% of Employers with
Administrative and
Secretarial HtFVs
SSVs as % of HtFVs
2005
14
10*
45
2002
10
7*
*Caution, small numbers
In 2005, 14% of employers reported administration and secretarial vacancies;
this is an increase from 2002, when 10% reported vacancies. This increase has
taken administration from ranking as the sixth largest contributor to job
vacancies in 2002, to the third largest in 200566. Similarly, the proportion of
employers reporting HtFVs increased from 7% in 2002 to 10% in 2005. In 2005,
45% of HtFVs, in administration, were put down to a shortage of skills. When
asked to state which HtFVs were the most difficult to fill, 9% of employers said
administration and secretarial vacancies. Compared with the other occupational
groups examined in the Monitoring Skills Survey, administrative and secretarial
HtFVs are the sixth single most difficult to fill.
SSVs can result from a combination of a lack of skills, a lack of qualifications and
a lack of experience. The Skills Monitoring Survey asked employers in Northern
Ireland to identify the causes of HtFVs 67.
64 Future Skills Scotland, 2007: p.22
65 DELNI, 2007: pp.18, 24 & 35
66 Of nine occupational areas used by DELNI (2007)
67 Employers were asked to identify the reasons for HtFVs, not just SSVs. Therefore, the list of
potential reasons was far more extensive than just a lack of skills, qualifications and experience. Since
many of the causes for HtFVs do not relate to skill-shortages, they have not been discussed here
©2008 CfA
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Table 23: Extent to which HtFVs are attributed to a lack of skills, a lack of
experience and a lack of qualifications 68
Skills
Experience
Qualifications
Reason for Administration HtFVs*
43%
50%
34%
Main Reason for Administration
HtFVs**
11%
17%
16%
* Respondents gave multiple answers, which is why the percentages add up to more than
100%
** Respondents were asked about reasons for HtFVs, rather than just SSVs,
and they could give many other potential reasons, which is why the figures
do not add up to 100% (see footnotes)
The most common reason for HtFVs in administration was a lack of experience.
43% of HtFVs were put down to a lack of skills, and 34% down to a lack of
qualifications. When asked to specify the main reason for HtFVs in
administration, 17% of employers said a lack of experience, 16% a lack of
qualifications and 11% a lack of skills.
Employers in Northern Ireland were asked which skills areas applicants lacked.
Unfortunately, the Skills Monitoring Survey does not break this down into
different occupational areas. That said, many of the skills covered are essential to
carrying out administrative duties, and some general conclusions can be drawn
about how a lack of different skills may contribute to administration SSVs.
Figure 16: The extent to which a lack of different skill areas contribute to skill
shortages generally, in Northern Ireland 69
35
Other techncal and practical skills
Communication skills
30
22
Customer handling skills
Skill area
Management skills
15
Problem solving skills
11
Using numbers
11
General IT user skills
9
IT professional skills
9
Literacy skills
9
8
Team working skills
15
Other
4
None
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
%
Skills in communication are essential to carrying out administrative duties. 30%
of employers stated that a lack of communication skills were a cause of SSVs.
Customer-handling skills are also often required by administrators, especially
when carrying out tasks such as answering queries, and liaising with external
68 Note that the figures presented are a proportion of all HtFVs, not just SSVs
69 DELNI (2007): p.36
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colleagues and/or clients. 22% of employers said a lack of customer-handling
skills contribute to SSVs.
As with many occupations, using IT is an essential skill required for carrying out a
broad range of tasks. 9% of employers stated that a lack of both general IT user
skills, and IT professional skills, contributed to SSVs.
Other skills required in administration at different levels, include literacy,
numeracy, problem-solving, management and teamworking. All of these skills
contribute to a certain amount of SSVs in Northern Ireland.
With the information available, it is not possible to accurately say how much a
lack of these skills contributes to administration SSVs, but it is clear that some of
the skills required in administration are found lacking in many applicants
generally.
5.2.5 Attitudes
Although the focus of this report is skills, it should be noted that it is not purely
skills that employers are looking for in applicants. Gordon Yates highlight
employers concerns that they cannot find administrative staff with the right
attitude. 70
“This elusive attitude is described by words such as: enthusiasm,
ability to multi-task, sense of responsibility, thoroughness, common
sense, initiative and a down-to-earth approach.
Many employers voice a real sense of frustration about this, and find it hard
to understand why finding people with the ‘right attitude’ is so difficult.” 71
As pointed out previously, the reasons for HtFVs extend further than just skillsshortages. For example, Future Skills Wales identified 23% of administrative
HtFVs to be due to applicants having the wrong attitude.
5.2.6 Summary
Employers report that they are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit suitably
qualified administrative staff. Yet skills-shortages affect administration as a
designated job role less than they do other occupational areas. However, there
are still significant skill shortages within administration that need to be
addressed.
While SSVs in administration job roles may be lower than other occupational
areas, a lack of office and administration skills contribute to SSVs in all
occupational areas, to some degree.
In England, skill shortages in administration result from applicants lacking a
broad range of skills. While some skill areas contribute to administration SSVs
more than others, there is a demand for all skill areas. Skills with the greatest
demand include customer-handling skills, oral and written communication skills
and office and administration skills.
Information is not available on the extent to which different skills areas contribute
to SSVs in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. However, it is clear that a
number of the skills required to carry out administrative duties, in any job role,
are demanded across all occupational areas in all nations of the UK. In Northern
70 Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.8
71 Gordon Yates (2007–2008): p.8
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Ireland and Wales, there is particular demand for customer-handling and
communication skills.
The examination of skill shortages in different SSCs in England, found that the
financial services sector has a particularly high proportion of administrators, and,
equally, has a high demand for skilled administrators. The demand for skilled
administrators was found to be high (in comparison to the size of the
administration workforce within the sector) in a number of SSCs.
5.3 Skills Gaps
Skills gaps exist where employees lack some or all of the skills required in order
to perform their function effectively. Along with skill shortages, discussed
previously, skills gaps provide a means of assessing the skills that employers
demand of their administrative staff.
In 2006, the skills gaps identified in the CfA Vision report included: 72
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
IT
Verbal and written communication
Planning and organising
Customer service
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Finance
The report also found that organisations with more than 500 employees are more
likely to have reported skills gaps with their administration staff than SMEs. This
may be because SMEs are able to identify skills gaps more quickly.
Research carried out by the LSC, Future Skills Scotland, Future Skills Wales and
DELNI, provides information on skills gaps in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland
and Wales.
5.3.1 England
In 2005, skills gaps were reported in 5% of administration jobs in England 73.
However, the 2007 CfA employer survey found the problem of skills gaps in
administration to be greater, with 16% of employers in England reporting skills
gaps among their administrators.
Table 24: Skills gaps in administration between 2003 and 2005 74
Total Number
of Skills Gaps
2003
2004
2005
2,400,000
1,540,000
1,265,000
Administration
Skills Gaps as
Proportion of
All Skills Gaps
13%
12%
12%
Approximate
Number of
Administration
Skills Gaps
310,000
180,000
150,000
72 CfA (2006) The CfA Vision
73 LSC (2006a): p.68
74 LSC (2006a): p.69
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Between 2003 and 2005, the number of skills gaps in administration dropped by
over half, and skill gaps generally dropped by almost half. This meant that while
there was a considerable decline in skill gaps in administration, as a proportion of
all skills gaps, administration skills gaps barely changed, dropping by just 1%. In
2005, administration skills gaps accounted for 12% of all skills gaps.
The only occupational areas to account for a higher proportion of skills gaps, in
2005, were sales and elementary occupations. Skill gaps in managerial roles
accounted for 11% of skills gaps, similar to administration.
For all major occupational groups, the primary cause of skills gaps was put down
to a lack of experience or staff being recently recruited. However, the secondary
reasons varied, in administration, being the employer’s failure to train staff 75.
Figure 17: The extent to which lacking skills areas contribute to skills gaps in
administration jobs and skills gaps generally 76
Office and admin
Customer handling
General user IT
Problem-solving
Skill area
Team working
Written communication
Overall
Administration
Oral communication
Technical and practical
IT professional
Literacy
Management
Numeracy
Foreign languages
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Note: Figures are a proportion of skills gaps, not employees or employers.
The NESS identified the extent to which different skill areas contribute to skills
gaps in administration.
A lack of office administration skills was not only the most common cause of skills
gaps in administration jobs, but also significantly higher than average,
contributing to 55% of administration skills gaps, compared with 20% of all skills
gaps. Office and administration skills are required more by administrators than in
other occupations, and, therefore, it is not unusual that a lack of office and
administration skills should be such a contributing factor to skills gaps in this
area.
A lack of customer-handling skills and general IT user skills were also reported as
contributing to over 50% of administration skills gaps. A lack of skills in problemsolving, IT professional, written communication and literacy were also more
common than average in administration. All of these skills are required by
administrators and demanded by employers.
75 LSC (2006a): p.71
76 LSC (2006a): p.72
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Figure 18: The extent to which a lack of office and administration skills contribute
to skills gaps in different occupational areas 77
Administrative
Managers
Occupational group
Associate profs
Professionals
Sales
Skilled trades
Personal services
Elementary occupations
Operatives
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
A lack of office and administration skills contribute to far more skills gaps in
administration than skills gaps in other occupational groups. As explained
previously, this finding is not unexpected.
A lack of office and administration skills contributes to some skills gaps in all
occupational groups to a varying degree. Managerial, professional and associate
professional occupations all demand a relatively high degree of office and
administration skills.
Figure 19: The impact of skill gaps in administration on businesses
5%
10%
33%
52%
Very significant
Fairly significant
Not very significant
Not at all significant
77 LSC (2006a): p.72
©2008 CfA
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The 2007 CfA employers survey explored the impact that skills gaps have on
businesses. The majority of employers (52%), stated that the impact of skills
gaps in administration on their business was not very significant. However, a
considerable proportion disagreed, 33% stating that skills gaps have a fairly
significant impact on business, and 10% saying skills gaps have a very significant
impact.
Figure 20: Skills gaps in administration across the regions of England 78
Administration
employment profile
All England
Skills gaps in
Administration
London
Eastern
Region
North East
Yorkshire and Humber
West Midlands
South West
South East
North West
East Midlands
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10% 12% 14% 16% 18%
The NESS identified that the extent to which skills gaps affect administration vary
across regions in England. Skills gaps were highest in London, where 15% of
skills gaps were in administration. Administration also makes up the highest
proportion of the workforce in London. The North West and the East Midlands
were found to have the lowest proportion of administration skills gaps.
78 LSC (2006a): p.82
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Figure 21: The extent to which a lack of office and administration skills contribute
to skills gaps in different English regions 79
All England
Eastern
London
Region
West Midlands
North West
Yorkshire & Humber
North East
South East
East Midlands
South West
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
A lack of office and administration skills was found, by the NESS, to vary across
regions in England. In eastern England, a lack of office and administration skills
was found to contribute to 28% of skills gaps, 8% up on England as a whole.
London also had a higher than average proportion of skills gaps caused by a lack
of office and administration skills. In the South East, a lack of office and
administration skills contributed to 15% of skills gaps, and in the East Midlands
16%.
Figure 22 shows the skills gaps in administration occupations within each of the
SSCs.
The Skills for Justice SSC, reported the highest proportion of skills gaps in
administration (41%). The FSSC, which was also found to have a high proportion
of SSVs, reported 30% of skills gaps to be in administration. Skillset reported
28% of skills gaps to be in administration.
79 LSC (2006a): p.84
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Figure 22: Skills gaps in administration occupations within SSCs 80
All
Skills for Justice
Financial Services Skills Council
Skillset
Asset Skills
Lifelong Learning
Skills for Health
Skills for Logistics
Energy & Utility Skills
Sector Skills Council
Non-SSC employers
Creative & Cultural Skills
GoSkills
Automotive Skills
Skillfast-UK
ConstructionSkills
SkillsActive
Cogent
Proskills UK
SEMTA
Lantra
Skills for Care & Development
e-skills UK
SummitSkills
Improve Ltd
Skillsmart Retail
People 1st
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
80 LSC (2006a): p.87
©2008 CfA
Page 54
5.3.2 Wales
In 2005, 5% of administrative and secretarial employees in Wales were reported
as having skills gaps. 7% of employers said that skills gaps among administrators
were the most critical in holding back business objectives.
Figure 23: Technical and practical skills lacking in administrative and secretarial
occupations
Skills area
IT, computer skills
18%
Finance, accounts,
bookkeeping
16%
Communication,
interpersonal
11%
Software, programming,
databases
10%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
In administration, there is a fairly high demand for skills in IT; accounts and
bookkeeping; communication and software, programming and databases. IT and
computer skills are especially lacking, this was reported in 18% of cases.
Accounts/bookkeeping skills, generally associated with administration, were also
found to be lacking among associate professionals, professionals and
managers/senior professionals, contributing to 11%, 6% and 13% of skills gaps,
respectively. This reflects the growing trend for professionals and managers to
complete some of their own administration.
The Welsh Assembly Government, note that administrative skills gaps are most
prevalent among public administration, education and health establishments. As
these are all occupations and industry sectors that are expected to grow over the
foreseeable future, the implication is that without more resources, skills gaps are
likely to grow in these areas 81.
Data specific to SSCs, shows skills gaps, generally and in administrative jobs, are
highest in the finance sector (see figure 24). Skills gaps were found to exist
among 13% of all employees and 15% of administrators in this sector.
Administration skills gaps were also found in the Land-based and Environmental
(Lantra) sector, and these were higher than skill gaps generally, affecting 8% of
administration employees compared with just 4% of employees, generally, in the
sector. In 13 of the sectors, skills gaps were found to affect administration jobs
less than other jobs, generally, in the sector. Administration skills gaps were
found to be lowest in the food and drink manufacturing and processing sector
(Improve) and the business services engineering sector (Summit Skills).
81 WAG (2006) The Annual Learning and Skills Assessment 2006-2009
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Figure 24: Skills gaps affecting administrative jobs in different sectors
Financial Services
13%
Lantra
15%
8%
4%
8%
People 1st
9%
6%
6%
Go Skills
Automotive
5%
Construction Skills
5%
Creative and Cultural Skills
5%
SEMTA
5%
Skillsfast UK
5%
Skills for Care
5%
5%
Skills for Health
4%
Asset Skills
3%
4%
Skillsmart Retail
4%
3%
E-Skills UK
3%
Lifelong Learning UK
3%
3%
ProSkills
3%
Skills for Logistics
3%
3%
6%
7%
9%
6%
Admin skills gaps as % of
admin jobs in sector
5%
All skills gaps as % of total
employees in sector
4%
SkillsActive UK
Cogent
7%
6%
8%
6%
6%
6%
2%
Summit Skills
1%
Improve
0%
2%
10%
3%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
Off-the-job training is generally quite high for administrative and secretarial SOC
groups, with the norm for the all-Wales data being 35%. Some sectors report
significantly higher levels of off-the-job training for this occupational group,
including Skills for Health (60%), Lifelong Learning (48%), Financial Services
(44%), Creative and Cultural Skills (44%), Asset Skills (42%), Improve (42%),
Skills for Care (42%) and SEMTA (41%). The high incidence of off-the-job
training in these sectors reflects the need for increasing the skills of
administrators. The lowest incidence of off-the-job training for this SOC group is
found in the hospitality sector (People 1st), at 11%.
©2008 CfA
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Table 25: Off-the-job training offered to administrators in Wales 82
SSC
Incidence of Off-the-job Training
Within the Sector, Compared with
the All-Wales Norm of 35%
Financial Services
Skillsmart Retail
People 1st
Construction Skills
Skills for Health
E-skills
Lifelong Learning
Proskills
GoSkills
Automotive Skills
Lantra
EU Skills
SkillsActive-UK
Summit Skills
Asset Skills
Improve
Skills for Care
Cogent
SEMTA
Creative and Cultural Skills
Skills for Logistics
44
17
11
25
60
24
48
33
28
23
17
28
32
20
42
42
42
35
41
44
29
5.3.3 Scotland
Future Skills Scotland reported skills gaps in 8% of administration jobs. The 2007
CfA employers survey found that 80% of Scottish employers considered these
skills gaps to have a fairly significant impact on business. However, this finding
should be treated with caution, as it was based on low numbers.
82 Future Skills Wales: http://www.learningobservatory.com/fsw-2005-sector-skills-survey
©2008 CfA
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Figure 25: Skills lacking among employees with skills gaps 83
57%
Planning and organising
56%
Skill areas lacking
Customer handling
Team working
51%
Problem solving
51%
45%
Technical and practical
42%
Oral communication
32%
Written communication
30%
Strategic management
25%
Basic computer literacy/using
24%
Advanced IT or software
19%
Literacy
18%
Numeracy
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
There is no information specific to the skill areas that contribute to administration
skills gaps, or how a lack of office and administration skills specifically contribute
to skills gaps generally. However, Future Skills Scotland does provide some
information on how a range of different skill areas contribute to skills gaps
generally, all of which are crucial within administration.
For example, a lack of basic IT skills were found to contribute to 25% of skills
gaps, and a lack of advanced IT skills contribute to 24%. While it is not possible
to say how this relates specifically to skills gaps in administration, these skills
(especially basic IT) are essential for carrying out administrative tasks.
Customer-handling skills, which are central to many administrative functions,
were found to be lacking in 56% of skills gaps.
5.3.4 Northern Ireland
The 2007 CfA employers survey found that 33% of employers in Northern Ireland
felt there to be a skills gap in the administrative function of their organisation.
However, this figure was calculated on small numbers, and so should be treated
with a certain amount of caution.
83 Future Skills Scotland (2007): p.30
©2008 CfA
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Figure 26: Reasons for skills gaps in administrative and secretarial occupations 84
Lack of experience or recently
recruited staff
40%
Reason for skills gaps
Training programmes only
partially completed
30%
15%
Other
Failure to train and develop
staff
8%
Inability of workforce to keep
up with change
3%
High Staff turnover
1%
Recruitment problems
1%
No Particular Reason
1%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
The most common reason for skills gaps in administrative and secretarial jobs
was identified as being a lack of experience among staff, or staff having been
recently recruited. This was followed by staff having not yet completed their
training programmes.
Figure 27: Skills that need to be improved by administrative and secretarial staff
with a lack of full proficiency 85
General IT user
56%
Communication
40%
Customer handling
29%
Problem solving
24%
Skill area
Team working
20%
Other technical and practical skills
16%
Literacy
16%
IT professional
9%
Any other difficulties
8%
Management
7%
Numeracy
6%
None
4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
The main skill area in need of improvement by administration staff with skills
gaps, was general IT, required in 56% of cases. Communication skills, customer84 DELNI (2007): p.64
85 DELNI (2007): p.66
©2008 CfA
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handling skills and problem-solving skills require improvement among a large
number of administrators with skills gaps. The high demand for these skills
reflects the importance of these skills at all levels. Management skills require
improvement in 7% of cases, possibly requiring improvement among higher-level
administrators more so than lower level.
5.3.5 Summary
The majority of available information on skills gaps relates to England, however
from the information that is available on Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it
is possible to identify clear similarities between the four nations.
In England, 12% of skills gaps were identified as being in administration, in 2005.
The actual number of administrators with skills gaps has decreased in recent
years, as have skills gaps generally.
The main reason for skills gaps, both in England and Northern Ireland, are either
a lack of experience or recently recruited staff. Other common causes of skills
gaps include the employers’ failure to train in England, and employees waiting to
complete training in Northern Ireland.
The main skill areas that were identified as contributing to administration skills
gaps included office and administration, customer handling, general and
professional IT, problem-solving and (written) communication.
A lack of office and administration skills contribute to skills gaps in all
occupational groups. As well as administration roles, skills gaps in managerial,
professional and associate professional occupations often result from a lack of
office and administration skills.
©2008 CfA
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6. Future Skills Needs
6.1 Changes to the Pattern of Skills Requirements
6.1.1 Administrators and Specialists
Of UK firms seeking to improve product or service quality, 70% will require
additional high-performance skills, such as teamworking and customer
handling. 86
There is a growth in knowledge-based work, and this favours skills such as
problem-solving, communication and teamwork. 87
An increased and diversified workload places a burden on administrative staff that
must support the new internal processes, which puts IT professional competences
and office administrative skills at a premium. As IT continues to develop,
administrators will be required to continuously develop their IT skills.
Customer attraction and retention is affected by deficiencies in sales, promotional
and marketing skills, as well as basic numeracy among staff. In terms of
occupations, it is critical that functional managers, customer service and
administrative staff are equipped with all of these skills. 88
Due to time restrictions, it was not possible to carry out qualitative scenario
research to provide further insights into the likely skill requirements of
administrators, at all levels, in the future.
6.2 Forecast Shifts in Patterns of Employment
The shape of the working population is dynamic, and it is the aim of the CfA to
remain one step ahead of changes. We work to ensure that our standards
continue to accommodate the requirements of both the changing administration
workforce and employers. It is therefore essential to understand not only how
administration looks today, but also how it is likely to look in the future.
6.2.1 Designated and Specialist Administrators
Data on growth and projected changes in the size of the administration workforce
are taken from Working Futures 89, which makes calculations based on the
administration workforce as defined by SOC2000. Consequently, the information
provided looks at just a specific group of administrators, mainly levels 2–4 (SCQF
levels 5–8).
Table 26: Projections of the administration workforce between 1984 and 201490
UK: Employment
Levels
Administration
(000’s)
Percentage of
Workforce
86
87
88
89
90
©2008 CfA
1984
1994
2004
2009
2014
3,843
3,955
3,790
3,627
3,463
15
15
13
12
11
Denholm and Macleod (2003): p.18
HM Treasury et al (2004): p.18
FSSC (2007)
Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006)
Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006): p.70
Page 61
According to Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006), in 2009 the
level 2–4 administration workforce will account for 12% of the total workforce – a
considerable proportion. However, since 1994, the size of the administration
workforce has been in gradual decline. The wider use of IT in administration
roles, improved communication systems and the movement towards managerial
and professional occupations undertaking their own administration, can be cited
as some of the reasons for this decrease.
The decline should not be taken to mean that administration will provide poor
career prospects in the future. Administration will continue to employ a large
number of people, accounting for a significant proportion of the entire working
population. Employers will be required to replace workers who leave due to
retirement, career moves, mortality or other reasons. This is known as the
‘replacement demand’ 91.
Table 27: The replacement demand in administration 2004–2014 92
Administrative,
Clerical and
Secretarial Positions
2004–2014
Expansion
Demand
2004–2014
Replacement
Demand
2004–2014
Total Demand
-327,000
1,523,000
1,197,000
As we have seen, by 2014, expansion demand (the creation of new jobs for new
entrants) for administrative, clerical and specialist occupations will be a negative
327,000, mainly due to the number of individuals in the workforce who will be
retiring in the 10-year period from 2004 onwards. However, the replacement
demand is a positive 1,523,000, meaning that the total requirement will be
1,197,000.
Future Skills Scotland has shown that the forecast for Scotland is similar to that
for the whole of the UK. In 2007, 350,000 people in Scotland were employed in
administrative and secretarial roles, accounting for 13% of the working
population 93. While in the UK, generally, it is predicted that expansion demand for
administrative jobs will be negative, in Scotland it is predicted that, by 2017, the
total number of administrative and secretarial employees will have increased by
8,000, and will continue to represent 13% of the working population in Scotland.
91 Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006): p.81
92 Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006): p.85
93 Future Skills Scotland (2008): p.27–29
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Table 28: Actual (2007) and projected (2017) administrative and secretarial
employment in Scotland 94
Total Employment
2007
2017
Administrative and Secretarial
350,000
355,000
Administrative and Secretarial as
% of All Occupations
13
13
All Occupations
2,628,000
2,712,000
Table 29: Projected total net demand for administrative and secretarial staff in
Scotland, 2007–2017 95
Total
Employment
(2007)
Expansion
Demand
Replacement
Demand
Job
Openings
(2017)
Administrative and
Secretarial
350,000
4,000
135,000
140,000
Administrative and
Secretarial as % of All
Occupations
13
5
15
14
All Occupations
2,628,000
84,000
922,000
1,006,000
The slight predicted growth in the size of the administrative and secretarial
market in Scotland, combined with the large replacement demand, means that
administrative and secretarial occupations will require 140,000 new entrants into
the area by 2017. Job openings in administrative occupations are forecast to
account for 14% of all job openings.
6.2.2 Self-administration
Table 30: Projections of the self-administration workforce between 1984 and
2014 96
Self-administrators
(000s)
1984
1994
2004
2009
2014
10,473
12,902
17,106
18,346
19,677
The self-workforce comprises the majority of the workforce. Between 1984 and
2004, this workforce grew by almost 7 million. By 2014, this growth is projected
to have continued, reaching an estimated 19,677,000.
94 Future Skills Scotland (2008): p.27–29
95 Future Skills Scotland (2008): p.27–29
96 Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006): p.70
©2008 CfA
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Table 31: The replacement demand for self-administrators, 2004–2014 97
Self-administration
(000s)
2004–2014
Expansion
Demand
2004–2014
Replacement
Demand
2004–2014
Total Demand
2,570
6,177
8,745
The total demand for the self-administration workforce, in the decade ending
2014, is huge, estimated to be over 8.7 million. This means that while the level
2–4 administration workforce is projected to decrease in size, the workforce that
requires the skills to carry out their own administration is seen to grow
considerably.
6.2.3 Summary
The administration/secretarial workforce has been decreasing in size over the
years and this is expected to continue. By 2014, the workforce is expected to
stand just short of 3.5 million.
Because of the large replacement demand, administration will continue to provide
many jobs in the future. In the decade ending 2014, it is estimated that
administration will require an input of almost 1.2 million people. These new
entrants into the administration workforce will require training to provide them
with the skills demanded by employers.
As well as a large demand for administrators in the future, the demand for
administration skills will grow massively, due to projected growth in the
workforce whom carry out some or all of their own administration.
97 Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006): p.85
©2008 CfA
Page 64
References
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Revenue and Customs & Communities and Local Government (2007) Accession
Monitoring Report A8 Countries May 2004–March 2007, Crown Copyright.
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Businesses: Using the CfA Governance Standards to develop your board and grow
your business, London: Author.
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Denholm, J. W. and Macleod, D. (2003) Prospects for Growth in Further
Education: A review of recent literature for the ‘Prospects for growth’ project,
Somerset: Learning Skills Research Centre.
Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI) (2007) The Northern Ireland
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Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (2007) ‘Special Feature: Selfemployment’, LFS Quarterly Supplement, April–June, pp.23–26.
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007) World Class Skills:
Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England, Norwich: Crown Copyright.
Felstead, A., Gallie, D., Green, F. and Zhou, Y. (2007) Skills at Work, 1986–2006,
Oxford & Cardiff: ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational
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Financial Services, London: Financial Services Skills Council.
Flanagan, R. (2007) The Review of Policing: Interim Report, [online], Available:
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the economic challenge, Norwich: Author, Crown Copyright.
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the Global Economy, Norwich: HM Treasury, Crown Copyright.
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Chartered Secretary?, [online], Available:
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chartered secretary, [online], Available:
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Leitch. (2006) Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills,
Norwich: HM Treasury, Crown Copyright.
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2004 to January 2005, pp.10–12.
National Statistics for Wales (2007) Economic Statistics Monthly – August 2007,
Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.
NOMIS Official Labour Market Statistics, [online], Available:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp
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Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Force Survey: Employment status by
occupation and sex (4 digit SOC), [online], Available:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=14248 [22 Jan 2008].
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[online], Available:
www.gnn.gov.uk/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.asp?MediaDetailsID=148384 [15
Feb 2008].
Pierce, C. (2006) Report on the Development of the CfA Governance Standards,
Version 1.1, CfA.
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Compendium of Labour Market Statistics 2006.
Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) Sector Skills Matrix, [online],
Available: http://www.ssdamatrix.org.uk [10 Feb 2008].
Stanfield C., Campbell M. and Giles L. (2004) The UK workforce: realising our
potential: SSDA Research Report 7, SSDA, Wath-upon-Dearne.
Tamkin, P., Giles, L., Campbell, P. and Hillage, J. (2004) Skills Pay: The
contribution of skills to business success, Brighton: Institute for Employment
Studies & SSDA.
Virtual Office Management Services, [online], Available: http://www.virtualoms.co.uk/ [22 Jan 2008].
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Assessment.
Wilson, R. and Bosworth, D. (2006) Working Futures 2004–2014: Qualifications
Report, Coventry: University of Warwick Institute of Employment Research.
Wilson, R., Homenidou, A. and Dickerson, A. (2006) Working Futures 2004–2014:
National Report, Coventry: University of Warwick Institute of Employment
Research.
©2008 CfA
Page 67
Appendices
Appendix 1: 2007 CfA Employer Questionnaire
The Council for Administration (CfA) is undertaking a quantitative and qualitative
questionnaire in order to understand the administration workplace. This
questionnaire will take approximately 15 minutes.
1. Which sector does your organisation mainly operate in?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Agriculture, hunting and forestry
• Fishing
• Mining and quarrying
• Manufacturing
• Electricity, gas and water supply
• Construction
• Retail
• Hotels and restaurants
• Transport, storage and communication
• Financial services
• Real estate, renting and business activities
• Public administration
• Education
• Health and social work
• Community, social and personal service activities
• Other
2. Which of these categories best describes the type of organisation you work
for?
READ LIST.SINGLE CODE.
• private
• public
• charity
• voluntary
3. How many staff does your organisation employ in the UK?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• 1-9
• 10-49
• 50-99
• 100-249
• 250+
4. If you consider there to be any gender imbalance within the administrative
function of your organisation?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
©2008 CfA
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5. IF Q4 = YES, ASK: what is the main reason for this?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• applicants are predominantly female
• part time roles attract more women
• tradition/perception of the role
• career development/poor opportunities
• job title is ‘female’ and does not engage men?
6. Does your organisation use Virtual Assistants?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Never heard of the concept
• Yes, sometimes
• Yes, all the time
• No, never
7. What training do you offer your administration staff?
PROMPT LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• Customer service
• Finance
• Time management
• Information management
• IT
• Literacy
• Non verbal communication/body language
• Numeracy
• Organisation/planning
• Organising meetings and events
• People/line management
• Presentations
• Problem-solving
• Project management
• Sales or marketing
• Team working
• Verbal communication
• Written communication
• None
8. IF Q6 = NONE, ASK: why is this the case?
WRITE IN.
9. IF Q6 = ANYTHING, EXCEPT NONE, ASK: How do you identify an
Administrator’s training needs?
WRITE IN.
10. What priority would you say is given to administration training in your
organisation?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• high priority
• medium priority
• low priority
©2008 CfA
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11. What are the three skill areas for which training is most required for
administration staff in your organisation?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Priority
12. What skills are currently needed by administrators in your organisation at
Junior Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL OTHERS.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
©2008 CfA
Priority
Page 70
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Intermediate Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
©2008 CfA
Priority
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Senior Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Priority
13. Would you say there is a gap between the needs of your organisation and
the current skills of your administrators?
SINGLE CODE.
• yes
• no – skip to 17
• don’t know
14. If YES, what is the impact of these skills gaps on your business?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• very significant
• fairly significant
• not very significant
• not at all significant
©2008 CfA
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15. What additional skills will be needed in the future by administrators in
your organisation at
Junior Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
Priority
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Intermediate Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
©2008 CfA
Priority
Page 73
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Senior Level? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL. SINGLE CODE.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Priority
16. What is the average length of service in years and months for
administrators in your organisation at:
• junior level?
• intermediate level?
• senior level?
WRITE IN FOR EACH.
©2008 CfA
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17. Approximately what percentage of administrators move into other, nonadministrative roles within your organisation?
WRITE IN.
18. Have you heard of the following administration qualifications?
READ LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• NVQ/SVQ
• apprenticeships
• foundation degree
19. IF HEARD OF NVQ/SVQ AT Q16, ASK: how effective are NVQ/SVQs in
terms of providing the skills that you would need in order to work
effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
20. IF HEARD OF APPRENTICESHIP AT Q16, ASK: how effective are
apprenticeships in terms of providing the skills that you would need in
order to work effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
21. IF HEARD OF FOUNDATION DEGREES AT Q16, ASK: how effective are
foundation degrees in terms of providing the skills that you would need in
order to work effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
22. Over the last year have you found it more or less difficult to recruit skilled
administration staff?
SINGLE CODE.
• more difficult
• less difficult
• no change
23. Over the last year, have you found it more or less difficult to retain skilled
administration staff?
SINGLE CODE.
• more difficult
• less difficult
• no change
©2008 CfA
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24. Approximately what percentage of your administrators currently on a
permanent contract were originally employed on a temporary basis?
WRITE IN.
25. Recent research indicates that administration is the third hardest role to
recruit for – does this accurately reflect your organisation?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• yes
• no
• don’t know
26. What is more important in a candidate: varied work experience in several
sectors or in-depth work experience within your sector? SINGLE CODE.
• several sectors
• within your sector
• either
• don’t know
27. Do you think the number of administrators in your organisation is likely to
change in the future?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• yes, will increase
• yes, will decrease
• no
• don’t know
28. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE FOR EACH.
strongly
agree
agree
disagree
strongly
disagree
don’t
know
the administration function
is critical to the
effectiveness of the
organisation
the administration function
is critical to meeting
business objectives
the administration function
is an important support
mechanism
©2008 CfA
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Appendix 2: 2007 Administrators’ Questionnaire
The Council for Administration (CfA) is undertaking a quantitative questionnaire in
order to understand the administration workplace. This questionnaire will take
approximately 15 minutes.
1. Which sector does your organisation mainly operate in?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Agriculture, hunting and forestry
• Fishing
• Mining and quarrying
• Manufacturing
• Electricity, gas and water supply
• Construction
• Retail
• Hotels and restaurants
• Transport, storage and communication
• Financial services
• Real estate, renting and business activities
• Public administration
• Education
• Health and social work
• Community, social and personal service activities
• Other
2. What is your current job title?
WRITE IN.
3. How many people do you undertake administrative duties for?
SINGLE CODE.
• 1
• 2 or 3
• 4 or 5
• 6-9
• 10+
4. What time do you start work?
WRITE IN.
5. What time do you finish work?
WRITE IN.
6. What is your age bracket?
SINGLE CODE.
• Under 20
• 21 – 30
• 31 – 40
• 41 – 50
• 51 – 60
• 61 – 65
• Over 65
©2008 CfA
Page 77
7. Which region do you live in?
PROMPT LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• England – North
• England – Midlands
• England – South West
• England – South East
• England – Greater London
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland
8. What skills are currently required in your role?
RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL OTHERS.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
©2008 CfA
Priority
Page 78
9. What additional skills do you think will be needed in the future for your
role? RECORD 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, ALL OTHERS.
Skill
answering queries
banking/dealing with money
change management
diary management
financial understanding/budgets
handling mail
information management
IT/databases/spreadsheets
legislation/regulation knowledge
literacy
non verbal communication
numeracy
organising and planning
organising travel and accommodation
organising meetings and events
people management
presentations
problem-solving
procuring services/contracts
project management
promotion of company/products
supervising an office
team working
telephone systems
text processing
using office equipment
verbal communication
welcoming visitors
written communication
Priority
10. Which of the following duties and tasks do you undertake as part of your
role?
READ LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• Welcome visitors
• Handle mail
• Store and retrieve information
• Make and receive telephone calls
• Use office equipment
• Maintain customer relations
• Manage diary systems
• Organise business travel and accommodation
• Deal with visitors
• Store, retrieve and archive information
• Research and report information
• Organise and support meetings
• Use a telephone system
• Operate office equipment
• Prepare text from notes
• Prepare text from shorthand
• Prepared text from recorded audio instructions
• Produce documents
©2008 CfA
Page 79
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Work effectively with other people
Supervise an office facility
Procure products and services
Manage and evaluate customer relations
Monitor information systems
Plan and run projects
Research, analyse and report information
Plan, organise and support meetings
Make a presentation
Organise and coordinate events
Design and produce documents
Plan and implement innovation and change
Manage an office facility
Manage contracts
Negotiate and agree budgets
Monitor and review the implementation of corporate objectives,
strategies and policies
Inform and facilitate corporate decision-making
Evaluate internal and external factors and promote partnership
working
Manage risk
Create and manage information systems
Manage projects
Chair meetings
Promote innovation and change
11. Do you know of any administrators that have changed career?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE
• Yes
• No
12. If Q11 = YES. If so, what kind of role have they moved into?
WRITE IN.
13. How long have you been in your present role?
WRITE IN.
14. What was your previous job title?
WRITE IN.
15. How long were you in this role?
WRITE IN.
(REPEAT Q14 and 15 UNTIL NONE)
16. Do you plan to stay working in administration for the rest of your career?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
o Yes
o No
o Don’t know
©2008 CfA
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17. What is your highest level of qualification gained?
READ LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• Level 1 e.g. GCSEs grades D-G
• Level 2 e.g. GCSEs grades A*-C/NVQ Level 2
• Level 3 e.g. A Levels or NVQ Level 3
• Level 4 e.g. 1st year of a degree
• Level 5 e.g. 2nd year of a degree
• Level 6 e.g. full 3 year degree
• Level 7 e.g. Masters degree
• Level 8 e.g. Doctorate
18. Have you heard of the following administration qualifications?
READ LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• NVQ/SVQ
• Apprenticeship
• Foundation Degree
19. IF HEARD OF NVQ/SVQ AT Q16, ASK: how effective are NVQ/SVQs in
terms of providing the skills that you would need in order to work
effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
20. IF HEARD OF APPRENTICESHIP AT Q16, ASK: how effective are
apprenticeships in terms of providing the skills that you would need in
order to work effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
21. IF HEARD OF FOUNDATION DEGREES AT Q16, ASK: how effective are
foundation degrees in terms of providing the skills that you would need in
order to work effectively in business and administration?
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• Very effective
• Effective
• Not very effective
• Not at all effective
• Don’t know
22. What training has been offered to you in your current role over the last 12
months?
PROMPT LIST. MULTIPLE CODE.
• Customer service
• Finance
• Time management
• Information management
• IT
• Literacy
©2008 CfA
Page 81
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non verbal communication/body language
Numeracy
Organisation/planning
Organising meetings and events
People/line management
Presentations
Problem-solving
Project management
Sales or marketing
Team working
Verbal communication
Written communication
none
23. What are the top three most important things you want from your job?
READ LIST. WRITE IN.
• effective line manager
• a good salary
• incremental salary increases
• interesting work
• to be valued
• a good working atmosphere
• good work colleagues
• a manageable workload
• good promotion/progression prospects
• training and development
• performance and target related bonuses
• regular appraisals and target setting
• management responsibilities
24. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
READ LIST. SINGLE CODE.
• my job is challenging
• my job is pressurised
• my job is enjoyable
• my job is boring
• my role is valued by others
• my role is supported by others
• my role is important to the success of the business
• my role is something to be proud of
©2008 CfA
Page 82
Appendix 3: 2008 Senior Administrators’ Questionnaire
The CfA is carrying out research into the skills required within an administrative
role and are looking to learn more about some of the tasks that you and
administrative colleagues carry out on a daily basis and the skills that are
required of you and your administrators.
Section 1: Level 1 Administrators
The CfA would like to learn a little more about the administrative tasks typically
carried out at level 1. A level 1 administrator includes positions such as an office
junior and post-room worker.
1a) Are there any level 1 administrators working in your organisation? Yes/No
1b) If Yes: What tasks do level 1 administrators in your organisation carry out
on a daily basis? (Initially ask unprompted and afterwards prompt from the
following list)
Use office equipment (e.g. fax, photocopier, franking machine)
Handle mail
Store and retrieve information (filing)
Use email
Use word processing software
Use spreadsheets software
Use database software
Welcome visitors
Make and receive telephone calls
Manage diary systems
Organise and support meetings
Organise business travel and accommodation
Other (please specify)
1c) If No: What tasks would you expect a level 1 administrator to carry out?
Section 2: Using IT
The CfA is interested to explore further how required IT skills vary for
administrators at different levels.
2) Please state what level of competency (basic, intermediate, advanced or none)
you would expect a level 1 administrator to have for the following types of IT
software:
©2008 CfA
Page 83
Repeat question for level 2, 3 and 4 administrators.
Basic (B), Intermediate (I), Advanced (A), None (N)
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Information
exchange/email
Presentation software
Internet browser
Database
Website design
Artwork/imaging software
Specialist/bespoke
software
Section 3: People management skills
3a) Do you believe that people management skills are required at Level 2?
Yes/No
3b) If Yes: How many people would a level 2 administrator be expected to
manage?
3 c) If No: At what level do you believe an administrator first requires skills in
people management?
Section 4: Information management
I now wish to ask you about information management.
4a) At which level are administrators expected to manage information? (allowing
for multiple responses, e.g. levels 1, 2 and 3).
4b) At which level is this task carried out most?
4c) Which of the following skills are required for level 1 administrators to manage
information?
Repeat question for levels 2, 3 and 4. (at the levels stated by respondents in
previous question)
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Literacy
Keen attention to detail
Creativity
Research
Knowledge of regulations and legislation
Verbal communication
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Written communication
Using IT
Planning
Initiative
Ability to quickly learn
Monitoring
Numeracy
Personal organisation
Problem-solving
Other (please specify)
Section 5: Answering queries
I now wish to ask you about answering queries.
5a) Which level are administrators expected to answer customer queries?
(allowing for multiple responses, e.g. levels 1, 2, 3 and 4).
5b) At which level is this task carried out most?
5c) Which of the following skills are required for level 1 administrators to answer
customer queries?
Repeat question for levels 2, 3 and 4. (at the levels stated by respondents in
previous question)
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Literacy
Keen attention to detail
Creativity
Research
Knowledge of regulations and legislation
Verbal communication
Written communication
Using IT
Planning
Initiative
Ability to quickly learn
Monitoring
Numeracy
Personal organisation
Problem-solving
Other (please specify)
©2008 CfA
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Section 6: Organising and planning
The CfA is interested to explore further how the organisation and planning skills
required of administrators vary at different levels.
6) What tasks do a level 1 administrator carry out that require organising and
planning skills?
Repeat question for levels 2, 3 and 4
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
level 4
Information management
Diary management
Organising business travel and
accommodation
Researching information
Organising meetings and events
Producing documents
Working effectively with others
Supervising an office
Payroll
Processing financial transactions
Operating credit control
Running projects
Producing a presentation
Delivering a presentation
Implementing change
Managing and office
Managing contracts
Negotiating and agreeing budgets
Managing projects
Other (Please specify)
©2008 CfA
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