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The differences between generalists and business specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business specialist has an average salary of $73,521, which is higher than the $46,518 average annual salary of a generalist.
The top three skills for a generalist include sales floor, store sales and customer loyalty. The most important skills for a business specialist are patients, customer service, and product knowledge.
| Generalist | Business Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,518 | $73,521 |
| Hourly rate | $22.36 | $35.35 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 8,585 | 95,909 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A generalist, also known as a human resource generalist, is responsible for overseeing the operations in a human resource department, focusing on employees' welfare and working conditions. They are primarily involved in the hiring and laying off processes among employees, handing training and benefits programs, and coordinating with every department in the company. Furthermore, a generalist must perform administrative tasks that mostly revolve around producing reports and processing paperwork, conducting research and analysis, and responding to correspondence.
A business specialist's role is to perform research and analysis to determine the company's strengths and weaknesses, aiming to improve and develop areas for optimal performance. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather relevant data, identifying new opportunities and ways to meet clients' needs, devising strategies and programs for profit growth, and developing new processes for business efficiency. Furthermore, it is essential to provide corrective measures on various issues and concerns, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Generalists and business specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Generalist | Business Specialist | |
| Average salary | $46,518 | $73,521 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $72,000 | Between $44,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a generalist and a business specialist in terms of educational background:
| Generalist | Business Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between generalists' and business specialists' demographics:
| Generalist | Business Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 48.1% Female, 51.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 11% |