The demand for skilled talent for administrative and customer support roles remains high in mid-2024. That means employers must intensify their efforts to hire and retain both long-term and short-term talent if they want to meet their hiring goals in the months ahead.
It helps to know which roles are in highest demand so you can prepare to compete effectively for top candidates — and understand where to amplify retention efforts within your organization.
Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can equip you with that insight. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Let’s look at what we learned from our research for the midyear update of our report.
Based on an analysis of a proprietary dataset of more than 3.5 million U.S. job postings, including 60,000 Robert Half placements, hiring within the customer support job market remained vibrant and competitive in the first half of 2024.
While over 2.8 million Americans are employed as customer service representatives, the substantial volume of job postings underscores the ongoing challenge of attracting skilled talent within this sector. There were nearly 300,000 new job postings in customer service and call center functional areas. The role of customer service specialist accounted for over half of all the postings — about 196,000 positions.
As for the administrative job market, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment rates for several roles have been trending below the national average, which was 4.1% in June. Some examples include data entry specialists (2.5%), administrative assistants (3.4%) and executive assistants (3.5%).
Explore our Demand for Skilled Talent report to see what specializations employers need most.
Administrative and customer support managers are trying to staff teams to help support top strategic priorities for 2024, such as initiatives related to employee training and development and customer satisfaction. But many are facing increased competition for talent, particularly for positions that call for customer support, administrative and project management skills.
Meanwhile, fewer professionals are actively looking for jobs. Robert Half’s research also shows that the Big Stay is in effect, with only 35% of U.S. workers planning to look for a new job in the second half of 2024. That’s down from 49% during the same period last year.
While 85% of hiring managers for administrative and customer support organizations said they face challenges finding skilled candidates in today’s hiring environment, many aim to recruit talent in the second half of 2024.
Nearly half (49%) of admin and customer support managers said they plan to expand their teams and staff both new and vacated positions. Fifty-eight percent report that they are hiring for entry-level roles, while 40% seek talent for management positions.
To help augment their permanent teams, 60% of administrative and customer support managers said they plan to increase their use of contract professionals in the second half of 2024, especially for roles in the following areas:
Administrative (e.g., executive assistant, project assistant/coordinator)Customer service (e.g., customer service specialist, account manager)Office services (e.g., claims processor, logistics specialist)
Future-forward measures, such as providing flexible work arrangements and the ability to learn and work with emerging technology like AI, can help companies attract and retain in-demand professionals. So, too, can providing more traditional offerings that many employees value today, such as:
Competitive compensation, including compelling perks and benefits
Opportunities for career advancement and professional development
Programs and policies that promote a healthy work-life balance (our workplace research shows one-third of professionals are experiencing high levels of burnout)
Employers may also want to consider engaging resources like specialized recruiters to find the administrative and customer support talent they need, including passive job seekers prepared to make a move for the right opportunity and high-potential candidates willing to be trained.
Want more insights? Check out the full midyear update of Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report.
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
