Virtual assistants are remote employees who offer administrative support for a business and can do tasks that executive assistants would ordinarily perform. Tasks such as scheduling appointments, arranging travel, making phone calls, or organizing emails.

Sometimes they work as a salaried employee and sometimes they’re hired as independent contractors. These assistants are employed across a wide variety of industries and are employed by companies of all sizes.

They are such an important part of the workforce that they have even been given their own holiday. A day that’s observed annually on the third Friday in May and is currently known as International Virtual Assistants Day.

The History Of International Virtual Assistants Day

Although we can’t say that we’re entirely sure when this holiday was created, we do believe that it’s only been around for a few years. What we do know is that it was created by The Alliance for Virtual Business — which is a team of virtual professionals.

They created this holiday to raise the public’s awareness about the importance of virtual assistants and the role that they play in the world of business.

Some Important And Interesting Facts About Virtual Assistants

We did a little bit of research about virtual assistants and what they do, so we decided to take some time to list these facts below. We found the following facts to be quite informative and interesting, but we can’t guarantee that it will hold the same value to everyone reading them. With that said, let’s check them out.

• The average age of most virtual assistants is 35 years old.
• Companies can save almost 80% on operational costs by employing virtual assistants.
• Over the past few years, the workload of an average virtual assistant has increased by almost 18%.
• 9 out of 10 remote workers believe they are more effective working from home than working from an office.
• Many companies have begun to offshore the hiring of virtual assistants to remote workers in other countries.
• Employment for virtual assistants is expected to rise over the next decade and beyond.
• Businesses that employ virtual assistants save money on taxes because they don’t provide benefits.

Observing International Virtual Assistants Day

This holiday can be observed by showing some appreciation to a virtual assistant for what they do for the office on a regular basis.

This is also a good day for people who are interested in becoming a virtual assistant to learn more about it and how they can dip their toes into this industry. And people can spread the word about this holiday by using the hashtag #InternationalVirtualAssistantsDay on social media.