Human resources administrative assistant vs contract administrative assistant

The differences between human resources administrative assistants and contract administrative assistants 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 a contract administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a contract administrative assistant has an average salary of $39,073, 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 a contract administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and powerpoint.

Human resources administrative assistant vs contract administrative assistant overview

	Human Resources Administrative Assistant	Contract Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,044	$39,073
Hourly rate	$17.81	$18.79
Growth rate	8%	-8%
Number of jobs	72,861	64,677
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	50
Years of experience	6	2

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 a contract administrative assistant do?

A contract administrative assistant works on a contractual basis at offices where they are in charge of performing support tasks. Among their responsibilities include answering calls and correspondence, filing and organizing documents, coordinating with different departments, arranging appointments and schedules, preparing and processing files, and running errands as needed. They may also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, a contract administrative assistant must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Human resources administrative assistant vs contract administrative assistant salary

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

	Human Resources Administrative Assistant	Contract Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,044	$39,073
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $31,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Emory University	Minnesota State Fair
Best paying industry	Technology	Pharmaceutical

Differences between human resources administrative assistant and contract administrative assistant education

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

	Human Resources Administrative Assistant	Contract Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Human resources administrative assistant vs contract administrative assistant demographics

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

	Human Resources Administrative Assistant	Contract Administrative Assistant
Average age	41	50
Gender ratio	Male, 9.3% Female, 90.7%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
Race ratio	Black 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between human resources administrative assistant and contract administrative assistant 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.

Contract administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Orchestrate and design all RFP and RFQ proposals.
Issue RFQ's for subcontracts, evaluate proposals, award contracts and oversee through closeout.
Streamline staff scheduling through team management software (SharePoint) by coordinating schedules, meetings, and travel arrangements.
Transfer payroll and accounting paperwork to electronic form and index for future reference.
Assist in the creation and distribution of PowerPoint presentations for company executives and outside affiliates.

Human resources administrative assistant vs contract administrative assistant skills

Common human resources administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 10%
Background Checks, 7%
PowerPoint, 5%
HRIS, 4%
Travel Arrangements, 4%

Common contract administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Purchase Orders, 9%
PowerPoint, 9%
Expense Reports, 5%
SharePoint, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

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Human Resources Administrative Assistant vs Contract Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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