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Human resources administrative assistant vs administrative staff

The differences between human resources administrative assistants and administrative staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a human resources administrative assistant, becoming an administrative staff takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an administrative staff has an average salary of $77,101, which is higher than the $37,044 average annual salary of a human resources administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a human resources administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and background checks. The most important skills for an administrative staff are telephone calls, word processing, and travel arrangements.

Human resources administrative assistant vs administrative staff overview

Human Resources Administrative AssistantAdministrative Staff
Yearly salary$37,044$77,101
Hourly rate$17.81$37.07
Growth rate8%-8%
Number of jobs72,861119,030
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4150
Years of experience62

What does a human resources administrative assistant do?

A human resources administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative tasks such as gathering and processing necessary documentation, preparing timely reports and evaluations, arranging schedules, maintaining and monitoring record databases, and responding to inquiries. Aside from assisting human resource officers in their tasks, they can also lend a hand in screening and training new workforce members. Furthermore, because a human resources administrative assistant holds the employee database, they need to coordinate with other departments and employees to ensure that everyone receives what is needed.

What does an administrative staff do?

As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll. They plan department weekly meetings, schedule conference calls, and work on solving administrative related concerns and issues. They do a complex task that involves multi-tasking from the preparation of department reports, analyzing data, and finding solutions. It is a requirement to be an experienced, collaborator, and trained cross-functional communicator. Moreover, other duties will include scheduling company-initiated activities, meetings, and events.

Human resources administrative assistant vs administrative staff salary

Human resources administrative assistants and administrative staff have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Resources Administrative AssistantAdministrative Staff
Average salary$37,044$77,101
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $49,000Between $58,000 And $101,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyEmory UniversityNVIDIA
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between human resources administrative assistant and administrative staff education

There are a few differences between a human resources administrative assistant and an administrative staff in terms of educational background:

Human Resources Administrative AssistantAdministrative Staff
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Human resources administrative assistant vs administrative staff demographics

Here are the differences between human resources administrative assistants' and administrative staff' demographics:

Human Resources Administrative AssistantAdministrative Staff
Average age4150
Gender ratioMale, 9.3% Female, 90.7%Male, 31.9% Female, 68.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%6%

Differences between human resources administrative assistant and administrative staff duties and responsibilities

Human resources administrative assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage unemployment verification process and enter employee changes into PeopleSoft.
  • Labor hours, PTO, accident reports and training records are all track through data entry and issuance of reports.
  • Handle and make necessary changes to payroll processes/system daily by using KRONOS.
  • Enter and balance payroll, certify payroll and send ACH file to bank.
  • Assist with the instruction and training of new associates regarding KRONOS punches, attendance policies, and payroll incentive programs.
  • Submit employment of identification per e-verify.
  • Show more

Administrative staff example responsibilities.

  • Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
  • Prepare PowerPoint presentations for management distribution.
  • Maintain payroll information by collect, calculate and enter data.
  • Prepare briefing slides and presentation material using PowerPoint and Visio.
  • Maintain accounting statements, databases, and other financial information such as payroll coding and budget preparation
  • Provide cloud base customer relationship management with Salesforce for optimization in coordination of the workforce development program and other community orient events
  • Show more

Human resources administrative assistant vs administrative staff skills

Common human resources administrative assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Background Checks, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • HRIS, 4%
  • Travel Arrangements, 4%
Common administrative staff skills
  • Telephone Calls, 19%
  • Word Processing, 16%
  • Travel Arrangements, 7%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Personnel Actions, 6%
  • Financial Reports, 5%

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