Human resource officer vs human resource specialist

The differences between human resource officers and human resource specialists 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 resource officer and a human resource specialist. Additionally, a human resource officer has an average salary of $89,540, which is higher than the $53,143 average annual salary of a human resource specialist.

The top three skills for a human resource officer include human resources functions, performance management and personnel actions. The most important skills for a human resource specialist are data entry, oversight, and life insurance.

Human resource officer vs human resource specialist overview

	Human Resource Officer	Human Resource Specialist
Yearly salary	$89,540	$53,143
Hourly rate	$43.05	$25.55
Growth rate	7%	8%
Number of jobs	101,221	50,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a human resource officer do?

A human resources officer is typically in charge of managing and handling the employment operations in the company, including the payroll and training systems. Their responsibilities revolve around participating in advertising job openings, interviewing applicants, training and managing new employees, and devising programs that will help them learn about the policies and regulations of the company. Furthermore, a human resources officer is also responsible for managing employee data, such as personal information and work attendance, processing payroll, and handling any issues or concerns.

What does a human resource specialist do?

A human resources specialist is responsible for assisting in the recruitment and staffing process. Duties of a human resources specialist include updating the requirements and qualifications of a job post, handling employees' inquiries regarding compensation and benefits, maintaining employees' records, updating the status of new joiners, tracking performance reviews, and generating reports as business requires. A human resource specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as excellent in organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a human resource specialist must have a broad knowledge of the recruitment process and structure.

Human resource officer vs human resource specialist salary

Human resource officers and human resource specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Human Resource Officer	Human Resource Specialist
Average salary	$89,540	$53,143
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $135,000	Between $36,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	Signature Healthcare	Meta
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between human resource officer and human resource specialist education

There are a few differences between a human resource officer and a human resource specialist in terms of educational background:

	Human Resource Officer	Human Resource Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Human resource officer vs human resource specialist demographics

Here are the differences between human resource officers' and human resource specialists' demographics:

	Human Resource Officer	Human Resource Specialist
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%	Male, 26.9% Female, 73.1%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	18%	9%

Differences between human resource officer and human resource specialist duties and responsibilities

Human resource officer example responsibilities.

Develop FMLA policy, create curricula and training for supervisory staff, and lead stand up instruction for the leadership team.
Recruit, negotiate new benefit contracts, manage compensation budget with department managers, process and oversee payroll.
Assist employees with benefit selections, FMLA, payroll deductions, EEO, and personnel information.
Prepare government reports relate to EEO compliance, ensure all plans are in compliance with federal and state regulations.
Provide consultation on disciplinary and grievance issues, ADA, OEO, FMLA issues and facilitate labor-management committee meetings.
Coordinate delivery of statewide HRIS training for banking center managers.

Human resource specialist example responsibilities.

Manage site KRONOS payroll, time and attendance, and vacation tracking for hourly.
Manage new hire and current employee paperwork that includes status change forms, W-4s, I-9s, etc.
Lead a compliance initiative to ensure successful transition to the e-Verify employment verification process.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Advise, coach, and counsele managers and Sr.
Assist with affirmative action reporting, VETS100 and EEO-1 submission.

Human resource officer vs human resource specialist skills

Common human resource officer skills

Human Resources Functions, 16%
Performance Management, 7%
Personnel Actions, 6%
EEO, 5%
HRIS, 4%
Employee Development, 4%

Common human resource specialist skills

Data Entry, 10%
Oversight, 9%
Life Insurance, 9%
Human Resources Policies, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Timekeeping, 5%

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Human Resource Officer
Human Resource Officer vs Human Resource Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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