First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-1011 · O*NET 43-1011.00
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers.
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers earn a median salary of $66,140 per year, ranking in the top 37% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -0.3% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers earn?
The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers is $66,140. That puts first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers at #303 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $43,920 |
| 25th percentile | $53,190 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $66,140 |
| 75th percentile | $82,340 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $102,980 |
| Median hourly wage | $31.80/hr |
Is first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers is -0.3%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 1.6M positions in 2024 to 1.6M in 2034, a net change of -4K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.
- 2.Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
- 3.Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.
- 4.Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.
- 5.Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.
- 6.Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.
- 7.Recruit, interview, and select employees.
- 8.Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff.
Top skills for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become first-line supervisors of office and administrative support worker?
Many first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$74,260 median
- Brokerage Clerks$62,940 median
- Postal Service Clerks$61,630 median
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$57,770 median
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$57,490 median
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$56,530 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
What is the median salary for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers?
The median annual salary for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers is $66,140 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers a growing career?
BLS projects -0.3% growth for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become first-line supervisors of office and administrative support worker?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers?
Related occupations within the Office and Administrative Support category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.