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The differences between business support specialists and administrative support specialists 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 support specialist and an administrative support specialist. Additionally, a business support specialist has an average salary of $53,768, which is higher than the $38,244 average annual salary of an administrative support specialist.
The top three skills for a business support specialist include data entry, business support and project management. The most important skills for an administrative support specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.
| Business Support Specialist | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,768 | $38,244 |
| Hourly rate | $25.85 | $18.39 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 161,206 | 139,654 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A business support specialist is responsible for evaluating the current production and manufacturing processes, improving the operational standards, and identifying opportunities to maximize the staff's productivity and efficiency. Business support specialists determine areas of improvement with the business procedures and strategize methods to deliver high-quality outputs for client satisfaction. They also coordinate with the marketing and sales team to monitor business channels and establish solutions to enhance the company's brand image within the target market.
An administrative support specialist is an individual who is involved in the office management, clerical tasks, and back-office duties of an organization. To run the office smoothly, administrative support specialists must manage the purchasing and inventory of office supplies as well as schedule the maintenance of office equipment. They serve as a liaison for executives by screening incoming calls and emails, sorting mails, and setting appointments with employees, customers, and vendors. Administrative support specialists must also be able to draft memos and edit report proposals and other business documents.
Business support specialists and administrative support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Support Specialist | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $53,768 | $38,244 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $95,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Genentech | King County |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Government |
There are a few differences between a business support specialist and an administrative support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Business Support Specialist | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between business support specialists' and administrative support specialists' demographics:
| Business Support Specialist | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% | Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 6% |