At Work
Secretaries work in government and throughout the private sector including law offices, company legal departments, real estate companies, land titles offices, courts, doctors' offices, hospitals, clinics and other medical organizations.
Secretaries perform administrative duties and clerical activities. This includes using office software on computers and operating other office equipment.
Court recorders record verbatim proceedings of courts using stenomasks, stenograph machines and computerized recording equipment. They locate quotes to ensure accuracy and transcribe recorded proceedings according to established formats.
Medical transcriptionists record and transcribe surgical proceedings, medical reports and records from machine dictation or rough notes from medical reports, correspondence and patient information.
This occupational group also includes executive, private and technical secretaries, estate, medical, legal, litigation and real estate secretaries, court reporters and stenographers, and Hansard reporters.

Education, Training and Experience
Secretaries must have a high school diploma. Many recent entrants have a trade/vocational or community college diploma.

Secretaries (except legal and medical) complete a one-to-two-year college, or other, program or have previous experience.
Court recorders and medical transcriptionists must complete high school and a college or other program in court reporting or medical transcription.
Legal secretaries usually must complete a one-to-two-year college or other program for secretaries or legal secretaries.
Medical secretaries usually must complete a one-to-two-year college program or other specialized course for secretaries or medical secretaries.

About these Occupations
393,000 persons were employed in these occupations in 1996, down 18.5% from 1986. Over the same period, employment in all occupations grew by 13.1%.

10% of these secretaries are legal secretaries, 9% are medical secretaries and 80% are non-specialized secretaries.
19% of secretaries work part-time, equal to the average for all occupations. The proportion of part-time workers in these occupations has risen significantly over the last 10 years.
4% of secretaries are self-employed, well below the average of 16% for all occupations.
91% of secretaries are women, well above the average of 45% for all occupations.
The unemployment rate for these occupations averaged 5.6% from 1994 to 1996, compared to an unemployment rate of 6.7% for all occupations.
Average earnings for year-round, full-time workers in these occupations in 1995 were $27,800, well below the average of $35,700 for all occupations. These earnings are among the lowest for technical, paraprofessional and skilled occupations and for occupations in business, finance and administration.
Employment in these occupations is not very sensitive to overall economic conditions and is not seasonal.

Full-Time Earnings

1995 Full-Time Earnings*[page]
$38,900 Highest
$27,800 Average
$16,100 Lowest

* Full-time earnings of the highest 10%, the average and the lowest 10% of workers. $35,700 is the average for all occupations.

Looking to the Year 2001
Current labour market conditions for new entrants in these occupations are poor. Labour market conditions for new entrants will remain poor through 2001.

Technological change, in particular, the continuing growth of computerized office equipment technologies, may lead to continued decreases in the number of secretaries but will expand the role, and increase the career opportunities, of those who remain. Experienced secretaries with specialized skills in office software applications are expected to be more successful in the labour market.
Overall labour requirements for these occupations will fall through 2001. Requirements will decrease across a broad range of industries, but will increase in professional services.