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The differences between assistant secretaries and contract administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an assistant secretary and a contract administrative assistant. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $39,073 average annual salary of a contract administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant secretary include telephone calls, payroll and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for a contract administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and powerpoint.
| Assistant Secretary | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $107,366 | $39,073 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $18.79 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 52,165 | 64,677 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
A contract administrative assistant works on a contractual basis at offices where they are in charge of performing support tasks. Among their responsibilities include answering calls and correspondence, filing and organizing documents, coordinating with different departments, arranging appointments and schedules, preparing and processing files, and running errands as needed. They may also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, a contract administrative assistant must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Assistant secretaries and contract administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Secretary | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $107,366 | $39,073 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $302,000 | Between $31,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Elanco | Minnesota State Fair |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between an assistant secretary and a contract administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Secretary | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between assistant secretaries' and contract administrative assistants' demographics:
| Assistant Secretary | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% | Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |