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The differences between business office assistants and general office assistants 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 office assistant and a general office assistant. Additionally, a business office assistant has an average salary of $31,747, which is higher than the $30,764 average annual salary of a general office assistant.
The top three skills for a business office assistant include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a general office assistant are data entry, customer service, and general office assistance.
| Business Office Assistant | General Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,747 | $30,764 |
| Hourly rate | $15.26 | $14.79 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 132,916 | 131,527 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A business office assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to maintain a smooth workflow in offices and business establishments. Their responsibilities typically include answering phone calls and correspondence, preparing and filing documents, greeting visitors, relaying messages to managers or executives, arranging meetings and appointments, and organizing files, disseminating them to other offices when necessary. They may also monitor the inventory of office supplies and process procurement requests. Furthermore, a business office assistant may also participate in developing programs and projects, assisting staff and executives as needed.
A general office assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to help an office run smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities include managing the office calendar and schedules, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, organizing and disseminating files, greeting visitors, and running errands as needed. They must also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests as necessary. Furthermore, a general office assistant may assist staff in projects and programs while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Business office assistants and general office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Office Assistant | General Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,747 | $30,764 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $41,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Annapolis, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Cargill |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business office assistant and a general office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Business Office Assistant | General Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between business office assistants' and general office assistants' demographics:
| Business Office Assistant | General Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.6% Female, 84.4% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |