SECRETARIES: A SNAPSHOT OF THE PROFESSOR

You should be especially nice to your secretary this week. And not just because this happens to be Professional Secretaries Week but also because secretaries are already in short supply and demand for their services is growing.

Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16.9% increase in secretarial jobs nationwide by the year 2000. In Southern California, demand is even stronger. The state Employment Development Department estimates that in just five years--from 1987 to 1992--the number of openings for secretaries in Los Angeles County will increase by 15.3%, to 144,580. (Orange County, over the same period, is expected to show an 8.3% rise, to 31,510 openings.)

Professional Secretaries Week was established in 1952 as an effort by Professional Secretaries International to upgrade the image of the profession.

Strictly secretarial job classifications, which the government reports under three occupational employment statistics codes, have been used for the accompanying statistics. Classifications include medical and legal secretaries but exclude such general office occupations as clerks, receptionists, typists and stenographers.

Number of secretaries Nationally In millions 1983: 3.16 1984: 3.13 1985: 3.25 1986: 3.21 1987: 3.29 1988: 3.21 1989: 3.14 Median weekly earnings Nationally 1983: $252 1989: $328 Profile Based on 1988 data Median age: 36.7 Median schooling: 12.8 99.1% are female 91.0% are white 31.5% work part time 68.5% work full time Age 1988 data 60+ / 5.3% 50-59 / 13% 40-49 / 23% 30-39 / 27.3% 20-29 / 27.9% Under 20 / 3.5% Tenure 1987 data Median years in profession: 7.5% 20+ years / 13.7% 10-19 years / 26.5% 4-9 years / 29.3% 3 years / 30.5% Southern California Salaries (middle range) As of Aug. 1989 Orange County: high: 27,976 / low: 22,360 Los Angeles County: high: 28,288 / low: 21,892 How they entered the profession: In 1987, 16.7% od secretaries entered the profession. Occupational transfers: 6.7% From unemployment: 2.4% Not previously in labor force: 7.6% How they left: To other jobs: 5.7% To unemployment: 1.7% Left workforce: 7.2%