Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between benefits assistants and human resource specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefits assistant and a human resource specialist. Additionally, a human resource specialist has an average salary of $53,143, which is higher than the $39,850 average annual salary of a benefits assistant.
The top three skills for a benefits assistant include human resources, data entry and cobra. The most important skills for a human resource specialist are data entry, oversight, and life insurance.
| Benefits Assistant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,850 | $53,143 |
| Hourly rate | $19.16 | $25.55 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 25,337 | 50,511 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Typically working in a human resources department, a benefits assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks for an efficient workflow. They primarily communicate with employees to answer inquiries regarding benefits and compensation programs, assist in processing documents, and resolve issues and concerns. Their responsibilities also include conducting research and analysis, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, organizing documents, and maintaining records. Above all, it is essential to carry out duties while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
A human resources specialist is responsible for assisting in the recruitment and staffing process. Duties of a human resources specialist include updating the requirements and qualifications of a job post, handling employees' inquiries regarding compensation and benefits, maintaining employees' records, updating the status of new joiners, tracking performance reviews, and generating reports as business requires. A human resource specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as excellent in organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a human resource specialist must have a broad knowledge of the recruitment process and structure.
Benefits assistants and human resource specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Benefits Assistant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,850 | $53,143 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $50,000 | Between $36,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Irving Isd | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a benefits assistant and a human resource specialist in terms of educational background:
| Benefits Assistant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between benefits assistants' and human resource specialists' demographics:
| Benefits Assistant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3% | Male, 26.9% Female, 73.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |