Human resources associate vs assistant

The differences between human resources associates and 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 associate, becoming an assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a human resources associate has an average salary of $56,636, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for a human resources associate include customer service, HRIS and I-9. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Human resources associate vs assistant overview

	Human Resources Associate	Assistant
Yearly salary	$56,636	$37,363
Hourly rate	$27.23	$17.96
Growth rate	8%	-8%
Number of jobs	43,496	557,900
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	50
Years of experience	6	2

What does a human resources associate do?

A human resources associate is responsible for supporting the human resources department's operations, updating employees' records within the organization's database, and managing the employees' inquiries and concerns by referencing the human resources policies. Human resources associates assist with staffing and recruitment processes, maintaining a timely job board, and filtering potential candidates' requirements and qualifications. They also respond to payments and benefits concerns and recommend employees' training and programs to maximize their potential, credibility, and productivity for daily operations and project management.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Human resources associate vs assistant salary

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

	Human Resources Associate	Assistant
Average salary	$56,636	$37,363
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $80,000	Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Citi	Latham & Watkins
Best paying industry	Finance	Education

Differences between human resources associate and assistant education

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

	Human Resources Associate	Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Human resources associate vs assistant demographics

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

	Human Resources Associate	Assistant
Average age	41	50
Gender ratio	Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between human resources associate and assistant duties and responsibilities

Human resources associate example responsibilities.

Manage timekeeping system (KRONOS), attendance tracking, and reporting.
Manage disability vendor relationship and activities and identify HRIS issues.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Develop an on-line PowerPoint presentation explaining benefits for both open enrollment and new hire.
Verify employment background by carrying out e-verify checks and cross checking references.
Identify and escalate recurring payroll systems issues; review and reconcile hours work; create output file for payroll to ADP.

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Assistant example responsibilities.

Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.

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Human resources associate vs assistant skills

Common human resources associate skills

Customer Service, 12%
HRIS, 8%
I-9, 6%
Performance Management, 5%
Exit Interviews, 5%
Payroll Processing, 4%

Common assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 13%
Patient Care, 8%
CPR, 5%
Sales Floor, 5%
Scheduling Appointments, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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