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The differences between cargo agents and export specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an export specialist has an average salary of $50,208, which is higher than the $35,411 average annual salary of a cargo agent.
The top three skills for a cargo agent include security procedures, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an export specialist are logistics, booking, and forwarders.
| Cargo Agent | Export Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,411 | $50,208 |
| Hourly rate | $17.02 | $24.14 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 27,874 | 1,414 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A cargo agent is primarily in charge of facilitating cargo shipments, ensuring the cargo gets to their destination timely and accurately. They are responsible for preparing and processing the necessary documents and fees, routing shipments and arranging the shipping methods, weighing the parcels, and coordinating the logistics and transportation details. They also negotiate postal and shipping rates, prepare invoices, and maintain records of all transactions and necessary information. Moreover, a cargo agent communicates with clients to answer inquiries, notify them of any delays, and provide updates regularly.
An Export Specialist is in charge of managing the foreign sales and transactions of a company. It is their duty to monitor the quality of products to ensure it adheres to export standards, manage paperwork, perform research and analysis, utilize cost-efficient methods, verify documents, produce progress reports, and liaise with external parties such as distributors and custom authorities. An Export Specialist must be proactive and alert for any issues or conflicts, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
Cargo agents and export specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cargo Agent | Export Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,411 | $50,208 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | Elizabeth, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | United Service Technologies | Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a cargo agent and an export specialist in terms of educational background:
| Cargo Agent | Export Specialist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cargo agents' and export specialists' demographics:
| Cargo Agent | Export Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4% | Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 27.5% Asian, 14.1% White, 44.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 16.8% White, 48.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |