Administrative specialist vs administrative technician

The differences between administrative specialists and administrative technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative specialist and an administrative technician. Additionally, an administrative technician has an average salary of $41,290, which is higher than the $38,758 average annual salary of an administrative specialist.

The top three skills for an administrative specialist include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for an administrative technician are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Administrative specialist vs administrative technician overview

	Administrative Specialist	Administrative Technician
Yearly salary	$38,758	$41,290
Hourly rate	$18.63	$19.85
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	71,227	73,101
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative specialist do?

An administrative specialist is in charge of various clerical tasks to support supervisors and management staff. Their responsibility is to act as the main point of contact among clients through answering calls and responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments and travel, addressing complaints and resolving internal issues, managing payroll, and keeping an organized database. Furthermore, an administrative specialist can also conduct research and analysis, prepare reports and other forms of documentation, and coordinate workflow in a particular area.

What does an administrative technician do?

Administrative technicians are employees who manage a variety of administrative tasks. They are in charge of sorting out mail, taking phone calls, and managing meeting room reservations. They work on the upkeep of files and records, office supplies, and admin systems. Administrative technicians are sometimes assigned to conduct research and devise ways to improve the efficiency of office operations. They assist administrative officers and managers in drafting policies and guidelines. Administrative technicians may also be assigned to create presentation materials and documentary requirements needed by the department.

Administrative specialist vs administrative technician salary

Administrative specialists and administrative technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Specialist	Administrative Technician
Average salary	$38,758	$41,290
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $58,000	Between $25,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Meta	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between administrative specialist and administrative technician education

There are a few differences between an administrative specialist and an administrative technician in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Specialist	Administrative Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative specialist vs administrative technician demographics

Here are the differences between administrative specialists' and administrative technicians' demographics:

	Administrative Specialist	Administrative Technician
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative specialist and administrative technician duties and responsibilities

Administrative specialist example responsibilities.

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Process incoming and outgoing medical records with newly implement HIPAA requirements.
Maintain personnel records, electronic databases, oversee and administer department SharePoint website.
Redesign and reformat PowerPoint presentations, customize individual client presentations for specific look & feel.
Create and successfully implement a new faculty form to collect necessary information for payroll forms.
Conduct training of new personnel using spreadsheets & PowerPoint presentations to ensure compliance of organizational policies & procedures.

Administrative technician example responsibilities.

Design and manage an innovative human capital and knowledge management information technology systems (e.g., PeopleSoft).
Manage after-hour phone consultations and create referral records for 2.2k patients while ensuring care continuity from civilian medical facilities.
Perform classroom instruction on Linux OS and database operations.
Utilize SharePoint to copy soft tokens into the appropriate agency's folder.
Build, maintain and support the company's Intranet portal system using SharePoint.
Set up PCs and laptops to any new employee for when they first arrive.

Administrative specialist vs administrative technician skills

Common administrative specialist skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 6%
PowerPoint, 6%
Office Procedures, 5%
Patients, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common administrative technician skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 11%
Patients, 8%
Database Management, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Troubleshoot, 4%

Administrative Specialist vs. similar jobs

Administrative Specialist related careers

Administrative Specialist related jobs

Administrative Specialist jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Specialist
Administrative Specialist vs Administrative Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs