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The differences between clerks typist and office 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 clerk typist and an office specialist. Additionally, an office specialist has an average salary of $33,477, which is higher than the $31,746 average annual salary of a clerk typist.
The top three skills for a clerk typist include data entry, customer service and telephone calls. The most important skills for an office specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.
| Clerk Typist | Office Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,746 | $33,477 |
| Hourly rate | $15.26 | $16.09 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 102,211 | 98,760 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A clerk typist is responsible for data entry procedures and document transcriptions, alongside other clerical and administrative duties as required by the employer. Clerk typists create reports and presentation materials, transcribe audio meetings, write business drafts, and send documents to appropriate office personnel or clients. A clerk-typist must show excellent organizational and time-management skills, especially with handling various typing tasks under strict deadlines and minimal supervision. They also respond and take calls from clients and customers, assisting with their inquiries and concerns.
An office specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the organization's daily operations. Office specialists must be highly organizational, as well as having excellent time-management skills to handle work units. They have duties including data entry procedures, greeting visitors, responding to customers' inquiries through phone calls and e-mails, and filing and sorting documents. Office specialists are responsible for creating meeting reports, scheduling appointments, evaluating financial statements, coordinating with other staff for event planning, and assisting the senior management with complex functions.
Clerks typist and office specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerk Typist | Office Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,746 | $33,477 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saint Paul, MN | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Education | Finance |
There are a few differences between a clerk typist and an office specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clerk Typist | Office Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clerks typist' and office specialists' demographics:
| Clerk Typist | Office Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.8% Female, 91.2% | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |