Original research • Published 2 September 2026

2026 Global Virtual Assistant Hiring and Cost Index

A source-led guide to local assistant economics, working hours, role language and managed remote support across eight buyer markets.

What this index measures

Local alternative

Published salary or hourly evidence for relevant administrative occupations, with the source period preserved.

Operating fit

Local role terminology, platforms, timezone and approval requirements that materially change the match.

Managed comparison

THC plan pricing is compared with role scope, not presented as a like-for-like employee wage or unsupported savings percentage.

Eight-market comparison

Market	Local cost evidence	Buyer terminology	Operating requirement	Best fit
United States USD	$48,310 median annual pay for secretaries and administrative assistants; executive assistants $76,590 May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics	medical secretary, legal secretary, executive administrative assistant Platforms: QuickBooks, HubSpot, Clio, Microsoft 365	Confirm Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific overlap	Healthcare, legal, bookkeeping, real estate and executive operations
Australia AUD	Current remote adverts reviewed for this index commonly showed AU$36–39/hour for specialist medical secretaries and AU$37–42/hour for bookkeepers August 2026 directional job-ad sample SEEK Australia search results; ranges are directional and adverts may overlap	medical receptionist, specialist medical secretary, Xero bookkeeper, property administrator Platforms: Xero, MYOB, Microsoft 365, practice systems	Specify AEST, AEDT, ACST or AWST and daylight-saving needs	Clinics, Xero bookkeeping, legal administration, property and executives
Canada CAD	C$25/hour median for medical administrative assistants and C$27.47/hour for legal administrative assistants Wages updated November 2025 Government of Canada Job Bank	medical office assistant, legal administrative assistant, QuickBooks bookkeeper Platforms: QuickBooks Online, Clio, Microsoft 365, HubSpot	Specify Atlantic through Pacific coverage and province	Medical offices, law firms, bookkeeping, property and executives
United Kingdom GBP	Use current National Careers Service role ranges and employer-specific adverts; salary varies materially by legal, medical and executive specialism Reviewed September 2026 UK National Careers Service	legal secretary, conveyancing administrator, private medical secretary, executive assistant Platforms: Xero, Microsoft 365, Clio, practice and conveyancing systems	Confirm GMT and BST coverage through seasonal changes	Legal, conveyancing, Xero, private healthcare and professional services
United Arab Emirates AED	No single official occupation benchmark was sufficiently specific for this edition; compare the actual offer including visa, insurance, leave and equipment September 2026 methodology decision UAE Government Labour Market Observatory	property administrator, listing coordinator, CRM administrator, executive assistant Platforms: GoHighLevel, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft 365, property portals	GST (UTC+4), local working week and Ramadan schedule	Property leads, listings, CRM, executive support and invoice follow-up
New Zealand NZD	NZ$51,000–75,000 is the usual office-administrator range; the broader guide range is NZ$48,000–94,000 Government careers profile reviewed September 2026 New Zealand Careers	office administrator, Xero bookkeeper, trades administrator, property administrator Platforms: Xero, Microsoft 365, job-management and property systems	Confirm NZST and NZDT separately from Australia	Xero, trades quotes and invoices, suppliers, property and customer operations
Singapore SGD	Public job adverts are used directionally because a stable government occupation benchmark was not identified; compare the actual local offer including CPF where applicable September 2026 methodology decision MyCareersFuture Singapore	executive assistant, operations executive, ecommerce administrator, clinic administrator Platforms: Shopify, Xero, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Microsoft 365	SGT (UTC+8) and any wider APAC handoff	Founder operations, ecommerce, CRM, bookkeeping and customer follow-up
Ireland EUR	€30,000–56,000 for legal secretaries; €30,000–50,000 for bookkeeper or financial administrator roles Profiles updated 2024 with 2025 labour-market notes CareersPortal Ireland	legal secretary, financial administrator, executive assistant, customer support administrator Platforms: Xero, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Shopify	GMT and Irish Standard Time with seasonal changes	Professional services, bookkeeping, CRM, executive and customer operations

How to compare a managed VA with a local employee

1. Define the queue. Compare the same repeatable responsibilities, volume and hours.
2. Preserve authority boundaries. Clinical, legal, accounting, payment and licensed decisions remain with authorised client professionals.
3. Price the whole operating model. Local salary is not total employment cost. A VA plan is not local employment and should not be described as equivalent.
4. Specify overlap and continuity. Include timezone, language, systems, approvals, Client Manager support and continuity planning.
5. Verify credentials candidate by candidate. THC can match from the bench, recruit, or train and verify before placement without claiming current availability.

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Methodology and limitations

This edition uses the most recent suitable official occupation source found for each market, supplemented by current job-ad evidence only where an official role benchmark was unavailable or too broad. Every number retains its currency and source period. We did not convert salaries, calculate a universal saving, or infer employee-equivalent service.

Job-board totals and ranges are directional snapshots. Listings can expire, repeat across locations, be reposted, or overlap. They indicate active buyer language and hiring behaviour, not unique vacancies or search volume. No proprietary survey or keyword-volume data is claimed.

THC plans start at US$700/month for up to 20 hours per week and US$1,300/month for up to 40 hours. Final scope is confirmed before matching. Taxes, exchange rates and client employment obligations are excluded.

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