Working a small enterprise typically appears like spinning too many plates directly. You recognize you need assistance, however the workload isn’t fairly sufficient to justify an worker – even an informal one. That is the place outsourcing to an Australian digital assistant (VA) or on-line enterprise supervisor (OBM) is smart. It’s excellent for small companies needing versatile, skilled help with out the long-term dedication of an worker contract.
Since 2020, tons of of small enterprise homeowners have come to Digital Assistant Lead Community to attach with Australian VAs and OBMs. Yearly, we publish the Australian VA & OBM Charges Report, based mostly on actual survey information gathered from contractors throughout 42 companies. The 2025 version contains insights from 217 professionals – providing you with benchmarks you’ll be able to belief when deciding what to outsource and what it is best to anticipate to pay.
What jobs are you able to outsource?
Digital assistants have advanced far past primary administrative help.
Whereas inbox administration and diary help are nonetheless frequent, the work has shifted in the direction of specialist micro-briefs – assume CRM clean-ups, compliance help, podcast administration, and even automation tasks.
Primarily based on this yr’s report, essentially the most generally outsourced companies are:
- Normal admin – the most well-liked class, with 90 per cent of VAs providing duties like information entry, inbox triage and reporting.
- Doc preparation – 77 per cent help with formatting, proofreading and templates.
- Private assistant (PA) duties – 61 per cent help enterprise leaders with scheduling, journey and coordination.
- Mission admin – 60 per cent assist maintain tasks shifting by managing timelines, dangers and reporting.
- Journey help – 47 per cent analysis and e book journey, preserve data, and help enterprise journeys.
And it doesn’t cease there. Round half of the surveyed VAs additionally present advertising and marketing and social media, 36 per cent cowl web site help, and nearly 40 per cent are working in workflows and automations. In different phrases, whether or not you want hands-on admin or strategic operations, there’s probably a VA or OBM with the right combination of abilities.
What you’ll pay
Right here’s what the 2025 Charges Report reveals:
- Normal admin: $55/hour (up 10 per cent from final yr)
- OBMs: $72.50/hour
- Mission managers: $71.80/hour
- Automation specialists: $71.20/hour
- C-suite govt assistants: $69.30/hour
Expertise additionally drives value. The ‘expertise premium’ implies that expert-level companies value, on common, 13.7 per cent greater than entry-level companies. Some areas command even larger premiums: content material writing (+27.7 per cent), contracts administration (+25.4 per cent) and HR help (+22.9 per cent).
It’s value noting that the majority VAs and OBMs aren’t new to the workforce. The common skilled in our survey introduced 16 years of prior company expertise earlier than beginning their enterprise. Meaning you’re getting seasoned experience and motivated enterprise homeowners, not simply task-doers.
A ultimate level on value: Outsourcing isn’t all the time the most affordable possibility, however it’s cost-effective. Larger hourly charges can truly get monetary savings when paired with effectivity and decreased administration time.
Phrases of engagement
The times of inflexible retainers are lengthy gone. In line with the report, 84 per cent of VAs and OBMs will work with shoppers on an “as wanted” foundation with out the necessity for minimal hours per week.
Meaning you’ll be able to outsource a challenge or a couple of hours with out locking your self into minimums.
Discovery calls are often free, and lots of enterprise homeowners begin with a brief challenge earlier than committing to ongoing help.
You’ll additionally discover that niching is commonplace apply, with 61 per cent of execs niching by service and 60 per cent by business, making it simpler to discover a VA or OBM who already understands your sector.
Choose Australian digital help to fit your enterprise
Outsourcing to an Australian VA or OBM isn’t about reducing corners, it’s about gaining access to expert, skilled help on phrases that work for your small business.
With the most recent 2025 Australian VA & OBM Charges Report in hand, you’ll be able to benchmark what to pay and perceive what help is accessible.
Most significantly, outsourcing offers you again time and headspace to give attention to development – with out the dedication and overheads that include having workers.
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