Human factors specialist vs human resources supervisor

The differences between human factors specialists and human resources supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a human factors specialist and a human resources supervisor. Additionally, a human factors specialist has an average salary of $80,877, which is higher than the $64,757 average annual salary of a human resources supervisor.

The top three skills for a human factors specialist include user research, user interface and industrial design. The most important skills for a human resources supervisor are customer service, state laws, and payroll processing.

Human factors specialist vs human resources supervisor overview

	Human Factors Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Yearly salary	$80,877	$64,757
Hourly rate	$38.88	$31.13
Growth rate	8%	7%
Number of jobs	40,805	46,523
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	41	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a human factors specialist do?

A human factors specialist may also be known as an ergonomist. They work with organizations that train staff, as well as with aeronautical engineers and civil aviation regulators. They are responsible for conducting studies, carrying out evaluations and tests, and researching important information about a product or service. They must be skilled in the art of studying human behavior in different contexts and apply that skill to design objects and facilities that better human well-being and overall system performance.

What does a human resources supervisor do?

A human resources supervisor is an individual responsible for developing and administering human resources programs so that the company can achieve efficient operations. Human resources supervisors coordinate all stages of the hiring process, such as checking all candidates' backgrounds, conducting interviews, and drug screening. They address conflicts among employees, investigate employee problems, and work with management to administer employee discipline or corrective action. The human resources supervisor also develops training and development programs for their salaried employees.

Human factors specialist vs human resources supervisor salary

Human factors specialists and human resources supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Human Factors Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Average salary	$80,877	$64,757
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $116,000	Between $47,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Apple	Genentech
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between human factors specialist and human resources supervisor education

There are a few differences between a human factors specialist and a human resources supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Human Factors Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Human factors specialist vs human resources supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between human factors specialists' and human resources supervisors' demographics:

	Human Factors Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 9.1% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	18%

Differences between human factors specialist and human resources supervisor duties and responsibilities

Human factors specialist example responsibilities.

Reformat and manage team SharePoint page on support unit portal, providing increase accessibility and distribution of team products.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Process arrears payments for employees on LOA or FMLA and other leave as applicable.
Coordinate leaves of absence with appropriate laws such as FMLA, work comp and ADA.
Categorize non-exempt and exempt positions according to FLSA.
Research methods include surveys, questionnaires, laboratory experiments, usability testing, task analyses, prototyping, and human-in-the-loop simulations.

Human resources supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage and lead service team initiatives/special projects (i.e., ADP conversion, corporate mergers, and teamwork events).
Manage HRIS database system and provide monthly reports to executive management.
Manage job-reclassification project, conducting occupational research to determine if job titles are synchronized with FLSA norms.
Utilize KRONOS and ADP to import and process payroll.
Review all exempt positions to determine classification and conduct audits to ensure FLSA compliance.
Maintain all company leave of absence (including work-relate injuries, non work-relate leaves and FMLA, etc .).

Human factors specialist vs human resources supervisor skills

Common human factors specialist skills

User Research, 18%
User Interface, 15%
Industrial Design, 12%
Human Factors Research, 9%
I-9, 5%
Personnel Policies, 5%

Common human resources supervisor skills

Customer Service, 22%
State Laws, 9%
Payroll Processing, 5%
Personnel Actions, 4%
HRIS, 4%
ISO, 3%

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Human Factors Specialist
Human Factors Specialist vs Human Resources Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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