Hollywood often portrays military service as purely combat. However, military roles can also be administrative in nature. For instance, one reason the military is able to function efficiently, especially under times of extreme stress, is due to administrative personnel ensuring that supplies are delivered, budgets are dispersed and accounted for, and personnel are paid on time.

In the private sector, across every industry, businesses also need administrative support to ensure operations run smoothly. Jobs in business administration include positions where professionals help companies and organizations meet financial goals, evaluate customer and market demand, and recruit, train, and place workers.  

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), salaries for these careers typically range from $50,000-$89,000 per year. The BLS reports that the median wage of $72,250 far out paces the $41,950 average wage for all occupations. Also, BLS projects employment for these professionals will grow by 5 percent between 2019-2029, higher than the projected growth for all careers in the United States. 

Veterans possess skills that make them particularly well-suited for business administration. To effectively perform in a business administration role requires professionals who can think analytically, lead teams, and analyze data. 

Some of the most common administrative positions include:  

·         Accountants and Auditors prepare and examine financial records. Accountant and auditor employment is projected to grow 4% between 2019 to 2029, according to the BLS. In general, employment growth for accountants and auditors is expected to be closely tied to the overall economic health. As the economy grows, more accountants and auditors will be needed to prepare and examine financial reports. 

·         Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists who guide wage and benefit  programs that compensate, care for, and reward employees. They evaluate position descriptions to determine market value. Once again, employment prospects for compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists are projected to grow 8% between 2019 to 2029. This is also much faster than the average of all occupations per BLS. Job prospects are best for candidates with experience in compensation analysis, benefits administration, or human resources.

·         Human Resources Specialists have a wide set of responsibilities to support employees from recruitment to retirement. These professionals handle recruiting, employee relations, compensation and benefits, and training. Human resources specialists will be needed to handle increasingly complex employment laws and healthcare coverage options. Employment for human resources specialists is projected to grow 7% from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average of all occupations. BLS projects that this growth will come from the professional, scientific, and technical services industry. 

·         Meeting, Convention, and Events Planners arrange every aspect of professional meetings and gatherings, whether in-person or virtually. Employment of meeting, convention, and event planners is projected to grow 8% between 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.  

Cities seeing the most demand for administrative jobs have the fastest economic growth. According to the Milken Institute, the Provo-Orem, Utah metro area takes the top spot among this year’s best-performing large cities, followed by Melbourne, Florida; Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Raleigh, North Carolina.  

To learn more about how veterans can find administrative jobs, you can:

·         Perform a keyword search for “administrative” on USAJOBS, which will show results for over 6,000 jobs for various departments and agencies.

·         Search jobs at veteran-friendly employers using the National Labor Exchange.

·         See how job requirements match veterans’ MOS/AFSC/Ratings visit My Next Move on O*NET Online.

·         Visit Social Security Administration Careers website to see the variety of currently open positions ranging from technical to customer service support roles. 

·         See how administrative roles power the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration behind the scenes.