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The differences between corporate secretaries and 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 corporate secretary and a secretary. Additionally, a corporate secretary has an average salary of $88,550, which is higher than the $36,442 average annual salary of a secretary.
The top three skills for a corporate secretary include corporate governance, proxy and meeting minutes. The most important skills for a secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Corporate Secretary | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $88,550 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $42.57 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 16,480 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Corporate Secretary works in promoting corporate governance and regulatory compliance. They make certain that the board of directors is equipped with the necessary tools and information in fulfilling their shareholder obligations. They ensure the integrity of an enterprise's governance framework. It is their responsibility to ensure the efficiency of business administration in compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements. Corporate Secretaries also implement the decisions of the board.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Corporate secretaries and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Secretary | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $88,550 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $132,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a corporate secretary and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Secretary | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between corporate secretaries' and secretaries' demographics:
| Corporate Secretary | Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |