Human service technician vs support staff

The differences between human service technicians and desk clerks supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a human service technician, becoming a support staff takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a human service technician has an average salary of $32,621, which is higher than the $31,772 average annual salary of a support staff.

The top three skills for a human service technician include data entry, community resources and social services. The most important skills for a support staff are customer service, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Human service technician vs support staff overview

	Human Service Technician	Support Staff
Yearly salary	$32,621	$31,772
Hourly rate	$15.68	$15.28
Growth rate	8%	36%
Number of jobs	140,916	161,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	12	6

Human service technician vs support staff salary

Human service technicians and desk clerks supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Human Service Technician	Support Staff
Average salary	$32,621	$31,772
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, MN	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New York
Best paying company	City of Richmond	Lakeland Electric
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between human service technician and support staff education

There are a few differences between a human service technician and a support staff in terms of educational background:

	Human Service Technician	Support Staff
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	Duke University

Human service technician vs support staff demographics

Here are the differences between human service technicians' and desk clerks supervisors' demographics:

	Human Service Technician	Support Staff
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 6.2% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	1%	8%

Differences between human service technician and support staff duties and responsibilities

Human service technician example responsibilities.

Assess patients in active withdrawal and provide interventions to manage physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Assist mentally challenge individuals with ADL'S.
Attend annual service training, including CPR and a refresher courses.
Answer phones and provide excellent customer service; train in first aid and CPR.
Assist assign residents with their ADL as directed such as bathing, toileting, hair combing, etc.
Interview patients to compile information on social, educational, criminal institutional and drug history.

Support staff example responsibilities.

Manage SharePoint inventory repository and assign access levels to new hires as needed.
Provide companionship to the consumer.
Tutor students in various science courses, English and GED prep classes.
Maintain a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment which fosters growth and rehabilitation.
Work with students at various levels of mathematics knowledge within the same teaching environment.
Work with students who have graduated from the developmental mathematics program on more advance mathematics classes.

Human service technician vs support staff skills

Common human service technician skills

Data Entry, 13%
Community Resources, 11%
Social Services, 10%
Telephone Inquiries, 9%
Patients, 8%
Direct Care, 7%

Common support staff skills

Customer Service, 9%
Developmental Disabilities, 7%
Mental Health, 6%
Meal Preparation, 6%
Direct Care, 6%
Home Maintenance, 6%

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Human Service Technician
Human Service Technician vs Support Staff

Updated January 8, 2025

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