Administrative services managers held about 300,200 jobs in 2018. The largest employers of administrative services managers were as follows:
| Healthcare and social assistance | 12% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 12 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 11 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 8 |
| Finance and insurance | 8 |
Administrative services managers spend much of their day in an office. They may observe workers throughout the building, go outdoors to supervise groundskeeping activities, or visit other facilities they direct.
Work Schedules
Most administrative services managers work full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week. Facility managers often are on call to address problems that arise at all hours.
Although educational requirements for administrative services managers vary by organization and the work they do, they usually must have a bachelor’s degree and related work experience.
Education
Administrative services managers typically need a bachelor’s degree, usually in business or a related field. However, some people enter the occupation with a high school diploma.
Work Experience
Administrative services managers must have related work experience that reflects managerial and leadership abilities. Facility managers should have experience in business operations, project management, and building maintenance, such as from jobs as a general maintenance and repair worker or a cost estimator. Records and information managers should have administrative or business operations experience involving recordkeeping. Records and information managers in the legal field often must have experience as a paralegal or legal assistant.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Although it is not required, professional certification may give candidates an advantage when applying for jobs.
Several professional associations for administrative services managers offer certifications. Some associations, including the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), offer certification that specializes in facility management. Others offering certification include the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), for records and information managers, and the ARMA International for those specializing in information governance.
Administrative services managers typically have an interest in the Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
If you are not sure whether you have a Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as an administrative services manager, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Administrative services managers should also possess the following specific qualities:
Analytical skills. Administrative services managers must be able to review an organization’s procedures and find ways to improve efficiency.
Communication skills. Much of an administrative services manager’s time is spent working with other people. Therefore, communication is a key quality.
Detail oriented. Administrative services managers must pay attention to details. This quality is necessary across a range of tasks, from ensuring that the organization complies with building codes to managing the process of buying equipment.
Leadership skills. In managing workers and coordinating administrative duties, administrative services managers must be able to motivate employees and deal with issues that may arise.
The median annual wage for administrative services managers was $96,940 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $55,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $166,330.
In May 2019, the median annual wages for administrative services managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Finance and insurance | $110,170 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 106,760 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 93,770 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 92,270 |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 86,960 |
Most administrative services managers work full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week. Facility managers often are on call to address problems that arise at all hours.
Employment of administrative services managers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Administrative tasks, including facility management and records and information management, will remain important in a range of industries.
A continuing focus on the environmental impact and energy efficiency of buildings will keep facility managers in demand. Improving energy efficiency can reduce costs and often is required by regulation. For example, building codes typically ensure that buildings meet environmental standards. Facility managers will be needed to oversee these improvements in a wide range of areas, from heating and air-conditioning systems to roofing. In addition, facility managers will be needed to plan for natural disasters, ensuring that any damage to a building will be minimal and that the organization can get back to work quickly.
“Smart building” technology is expected to affect the work of facility managers over the next decade. This technology will provide facility managers with timely and detailed information, such as equipment failure alerts and reminders to do maintenance. This information should allow facility managers to complete their work more efficiently.
Employment of records and information managers also is expected to grow. Demand is expected to be particularly strong for those working in “information governance,” which includes the privacy and legal aspects of records management. As cloud computing and mobile devices become more prevalent, records and information managers will have a critical role in helping organizations develop new records and information management practices and in maintaining data security.
Job Prospects
About 28,100 openings for administrative services managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who exit the labor force, such as to retire, and from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations.
For more information about facility management and related certifications, visit
International Facility Management Association
For more information about records and information management and related certifications, visit
Institute of Certified Records Managers