Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between employment specialists and workforce development specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an employment specialist, becoming a workforce development specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a workforce development specialist has an average salary of $43,666, which is higher than the $39,530 average annual salary of an employment specialist.
The top three skills for an employment specialist include customer service, rehabilitation and mental health. The most important skills for a workforce development specialist are social services, training programs, and HR.
| Employment Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,530 | $43,666 |
| Hourly rate | $19.00 | $20.99 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 59,757 | 80,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An employment specialist deals with job applicants to match their talents to a specific job that properly suits them. Employment specialists assist applicants or the unemployed by testing their skills, conducting mock interviews, and creating a proper resume. They can work separately within a company or be part of the human resources department to assist in the hiring process. Employment specialists are often tasked to handle company layoffs and act as the liaison officer between the employer and the Department of Labor.
A workforce development specialist is responsible for designing and conducting training and development programs to significantly improve organizational and individual performance. You will perform a few duties that include evaluating training delivery modes, such as virtual or in-person to optimize training effectiveness and costs, developing, obtaining, or organizing training guides and procedure manuals, and coordinating the placement of trainees. As a workforce development specialist, you also have to choose and assign training instructors and negotiating contracts with clients.
Employment specialists and workforce development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Employment Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,530 | $43,666 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $52,000 | Between $28,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an employment specialist and a workforce development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Employment Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between employment specialists' and workforce development specialists' demographics:
| Employment Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6% | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 12% |