ISCO-08 4120
Secretaries (general)
89.6%
ADI · 66th of 433 · 95% interval 77.1–100.0
An AI agent can at least partly carry out 89.6% of the task time of secretaries (general), and finish 22.8% alone. The barrier that holds most of the rest back is access to the systems the work runs on.
ADI · partial or full89.6%
66th of 433 · interval 77.1–100.0
ADI3 · full delegation22.8%
15th of 433 · interval 6.9–37.9
ADIs · share of time65.6%
21st of 433 · interval 59.4–71.3
Evidence31
task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 12.5 million.
Task weight by level
How the tasks rate
L0No meaningful role · 0.0%L1Augmentation · 10.3%L2Partial delegation · 66.9%L3Full delegation · 22.8%
Barriers
What stops the agent
Share of task weight flagged by each barrier; a task can carry several.
31 task statements, heaviest first
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Sonnet · Haiku | Barriers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 5.0% | L2 | L2L3 | 72% | 5 min | Access to systems |
| Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.9% | L3 | L3L3 | 82% | 1.0 h | Access to systems |
| Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.7% | L2 | L2L2 | 50% | 8 min | Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.5% | L1 | L1L2 | 28% | 30 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.4% | L3 | L3L3 | 85% | 52 min | Access to systems |
| Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.1% | L2 | L2L3 | 72% | 52 min | Access to systems |
| Set up and manage paper or electronic filing systems, recording information, updating paperwork, or maintaining documents, such as attendance records, correspondence, or other material.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 4.1% | L2 | L2L2 | 68% | 1.5 h | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Schedule and confirm appointments for clients, customers, or supervisors.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.9% | L3 | L3L3 | 82% | 14 min | Access to systems |
| Make copies of correspondence or other printed material.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.9% | L1 | L1L2 | 38% | 10 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Conduct searches to find needed information, using such sources as the Internet.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.5% | L3 | L3L3 | 90% | 32 min | – |
| Establish work procedures or schedules and keep track of the daily work of clerical staff.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 3.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 1.3 h | Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Maintain scheduling and event calendars.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.5% | L3 | L3L3 | 80% | 25 min | Access to systems |
| Provide services to customers, such as order placement or account information.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 3.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 68% | 12 min | Access to systems |
| Open, read, route, and distribute incoming mail or other materials and answer routine letters.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 32 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Collect and deposit money into accounts, disburse funds from cash accounts to pay bills or invoices, keep records of collections and disbursements, and ensure accounts are balanced.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 3.4% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 1.4 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
Show the other 16 tasks
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Sonnet · Haiku | Barriers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete forms in accordance with company procedures.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.3% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 20 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Locate and attach appropriate files to incoming correspondence requiring replies.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.3% | L2 | L3L2 | 78% | 11 min | Access to systems |
| Compose, type, and distribute meeting notes, routine correspondence, or reports, such as presentations or expense, statistical, or monthly reports.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3.1% | L2 | L3L2 | 78% | 1.1 h | Access to systems |
| Perform payroll functions, such as maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 3.0% | L2 | L2L2 | 68% | 1.8 h | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Prepare and mail checks.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.9% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 22 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Review work done by others to check for correct spelling and grammar, ensure that company format policies are followed, and recommend revisions.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 2.6% | L3 | L3L3 | 85% | 45 min | – |
| Manage projects or contribute to committee or team work.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 2.0 h | Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Arrange conference, meeting, or travel reservations for office personnel.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.5% | L2 | L2L3 | 75% | 52 min | Access to systems |
| Train and assist staff with computer usage.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 2.3% | L2 | L2L2 | 55% | 1.0 h | Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Coordinate conferences, meetings, or special events, such as luncheons or graduation ceremonies.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 60% | 7.0 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Mail newsletters, promotional material, or other information.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 62% | 1.0 h | Physical presence |
| Order and dispense supplies.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 2.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 58% | 45 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Develop or maintain internal or external company Web sites.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.0% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 2.5 h | Access to systems |
| Supervise other clerical staff and provide training and orientation to new staff.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · supplemental task | 2.0% | L1 | L1L2 | 32% | 3.0 h | Trust and care |
| Prepare conference or event materials, such as flyers or invitations.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1.9% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 1.8 h | – |
| Learn to operate new office technologies as they are developed and implemented.Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1.7% | L2 | L2L2 | 52% | 2.0 h | Access to systems |
Level: consensus of the two models (the lower level when they disagree). Share: part of the task’s working time an agent could take over. Human time: minutes a competent person needs for one instance, as estimated by the models.
Against other measures
Exposure is not delegation
| Measure | Value | Percentile | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADI (this index) | 89.6% | 85 | |
| Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β | 0.625 | 91 | |
| Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure | 1.099 | 82 | |
| Webb (2020), AI patent exposure | 9 | 4 | |
| Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure | 0.766 | 99 | |
| Anthropic Economic Index, observed use | 0.453 | 98 |
Earlier indices measure whether AI can touch a task; ADI measures how much of it an agent can carry out from a goal. – : the source does not cover this occupation.
Same sub-major group (41)
Neighbouring occupations
| Occupation | ADI | % |
|---|---|---|
| Typists and word processing operators 4131 | 96.0 | |
| Data entry clerks 4132 | 93.0 | |
| General office clerks 4110 | 84.9 |
Dashed line: secretaries (general) (89.6%).
Cite this record
Text
Espinal Maya, Cristian, and Santiago Jiménez Londoño. 2026. ADI v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and MCP server. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918. Record: Secretaries (general) (ISCO-08 4120), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/4120
BibTeX
@misc{espinal2026adidata,
title = {{ADI} v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and {MCP} server},
author = {Espinal Maya, Cristian and Jim{\'e}nez Londo{\~n}o, Santiago},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
version = {v2026.1},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
note = {Record: Secretaries (general) (ISCO-08 4120)}
}Machine-readable
The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/4120.json.