General office worker vs office support specialist

The differences between general office workers and office support 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 general office worker and an office support specialist. Additionally, an office support specialist has an average salary of $36,549, which is higher than the $29,182 average annual salary of a general office worker.

The top three skills for a general office worker include data entry, direct calls and office equipment. The most important skills for an office support specialist are customer service, data entry, and phone calls.

General office worker vs office support specialist overview

	General Office Worker	Office Support Specialist
Yearly salary	$29,182	$36,549
Hourly rate	$14.03	$17.57
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	126,332	130,301
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

General office worker vs office support specialist salary

General office workers and office support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Office Worker	Office Support Specialist
Average salary	$29,182	$36,549
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Valmont Industries	Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Best paying industry	Transportation	Finance

Differences between general office worker and office support specialist education

There are a few differences between a general office worker and an office support specialist in terms of educational background:

	General Office Worker	Office Support Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office worker vs office support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between general office workers' and office support specialists' demographics:

	General Office Worker	Office Support Specialist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%	Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office worker and office support specialist duties and responsibilities

General office worker example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Perform basic tasks using QuickBooks software.
Prepare and submit weekly payroll for processing.
Assist in payroll preparation by calculating time sheets and relate duties.
Prepare for upcoming alumni events.
Create professional sales presentations in PowerPoint.

Office support specialist example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Create PowerPoint presentations to train employees on new software.
Add new documents and update calendars to the SharePoint website for team collaboration.
Conduct payroll accountability & evaluate for accuracy.
Process bi-weekly payroll for part-time civil service personnel.
Update SharePoint website regularly with new employee information.

General office worker vs office support specialist skills

Common general office worker skills

Data Entry, 20%
Direct Calls, 18%
Office Equipment, 15%
Computer Programs, 15%
Adjudication Process, 8%
Customer Service, 5%

Common office support specialist skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 10%
Phone Calls, 7%
Office Equipment, 6%
Human Resources, 5%
Word Processing, 5%

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General Office Worker
General Office Worker vs Office Support Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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