Executive assistants are taking on strategic leadership roles with expanded responsibilities and higher compensation, even as layoffs affect the role at some companies. A Payscale report found that some jobs AI was expected to replace, such as executive assistants, are seeing rising pay.

In the tech industry, executive assistants command a 26% new-hire market advantage, earning $110,000 compared to $87,000 for incumbent employees, according to the report. Adnan Khan, cofounder and co-CEO of executive assistant staffing firm Viva Talent, stated that clients are seeking advanced assistants who can leverage AI strategically to support larger teams, manage complex workflows, and take on responsibilities traditionally reserved for managers or chiefs of staff.

Khan said executive assistants are expected to exercise empathy, relatability, and sound judgment. He noted an executive told him the value of a human assistant is that they "hold him accountable like a peer, not like a subordinate or a tool."

Khan predicted future responsibilities could include running company-wide meetings on an executive's behalf, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, or conducting initial performance reviews for an executive's direct reports. "The goal is to be as much of a proxy for the executive as possible and all the things that cannot be done by AI," Khan said. He added, "So, less assistant, more executive."

Khan noted that AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic still rely on executive assistants and continue to hire them. "If they are not eliminating EAs, then who is?" he asked. "They are certainly not signaling that it's an obsolete role that will be replaced by their own tech." Layoffs have affected executive assistants at companies including PwC and McKinsey.