NEWS

What’s New for Virtual Assistants & Remote Work 

Growing demand & changing VA industry structure

• According to a late‑November 2025 report by a major VA‑industry blog, over 37% of small businesses already outsource at least one task — and 52% plan to do so in 2025. That shows increasing reliance on VAs for core business operations.

• That same report outlines a shift beyond “jack-of-all-trades VA”: more businesses now seek specialised VAs (e.g. marketing, bookkeeping, ecommerce operations, CRM, project‑management), rather than generic admin support. (wishup.co)

• A recent industry article labels VAs as “the ultimate growth hack for small businesses” in 2025 — noting that VAs allow small companies or solo entrepreneurs to scale up rapidly without heavy overhead or in-house hiring. (Kinetic Innovative Staffing Services LLC)

Remote, hybrid and global hiring continue to reshape VA opportunities

• The shift to remote and hybrid working is now firmly established: businesses worldwide are hiring remote staff, including VAs, across time zones. (IT Recruitment Agency)

• Many companies are using VAs as part of lean, flexible staffing: hiring “on demand,” or as-needed, instead of traditional full-time in-house staff. This gives both businesses and VAs flexibility in contract terms and working hours. (wishup.co)

AI, tech and compliance reshape what being a VA means in 2025

• 2025 sees VAs collaborating more with AI/automation tools: routine tasks like scheduling, data entry, and customer support are increasingly automated, while human VAs focus on higher‑value tasks that need judgment, communication or strategy. (Virtual Coworker USA)

• Because of this shift, clients are placing higher expectations on VAs — not just for basic admin, but for specialised skills + data security and compliance, especially when dealing with sensitive data (e.g. finance, health, ecommerce). (wishup.co)

Real-world labour‑market shifts — example: South Africa’s remote‑VA market

• According to a 2025 market report, the remote job market in South Africa has started to recover after earlier declines. In 2025 there is rising demand for remote roles in admin, office support, business & management, and finance — which includes VA and support roles. (Business Report)

• Hourly rates for VAs in South Africa in 2025 are reported to range roughly between R225–R500 depending on experience and specialization. (RecruitMyMom.co.za)

• This shows that global demand and outsourcing — often to countries like South Africa — remains a strong component of the VA industry. (somewhere.com)

What this means for VA‑professionals 

• The market for VAs is not only stable — but growing, and demand is shifting towards quality, specialization, and flexibility.

• VAs who invest in specialized skills (e.g. ecommerce, bookkeeping, marketing, multilingual support) and familiarity with automation & compliance tools will have a competitive edge.

• For business owners and entrepreneurs (like you), hiring a VA in 2025 is increasingly seen as a strategic move to scale efficiently rather than a “nice-to-have extra.”