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The differences between clerks/assistant 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 clerk/assistant and an assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $32,674 average annual salary of a clerk/assistant.
The top three skills for a clerk/assistant include customer support, telephone calls and word processing. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Clerk/Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $32,674 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $15.71 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 114,718 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A clerk is someone who performs administrative tasks assigned by a manager or by other employees. The job includes responsibilities like dealing with correspondence, data maintenance through manual or computer systems, filing, and related general office duties. It involves typing letters, reports, and any other business-related documents. Clerks sort and respond to emails or forward them to other employees. They need to develop skills in typing, administrative duties, customer service and relations, and attention to detail.
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.
Clerks/assistant and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerk/Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $32,674 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | United States Courts | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a clerk/assistant and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Clerk/Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clerks/assistant' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Clerk/Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |