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The differences between business assistants and assistant secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a business assistant and an assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $42,247 average annual salary of a business assistant.
The top three skills for a business assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Business Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $42,247 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $20.31 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 98,348 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A business assistant is responsible for supporting various office functions, performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure efficient and smooth business operations, and provide high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Business assistants handle data processing procedures, writing business transaction reports, and coordinating with suppliers and third-party vendors for any requests made by the company. They welcome visitors, verify their appointments, and direct them to the appropriate personnel or department for their business concerns. A business assistant also schedules a meeting, assist in accounting and human resources tasks, and support the executives on corporate decisions.
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.
Business assistants and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $42,247 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $60,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Whitney Museum of American Art | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a business assistant and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Business Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between business assistants' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Business Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |