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The differences between office clerical assistants and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office clerical assistant and an office clerk. Additionally, an office clerk has an average salary of $30,927, which is higher than the $28,373 average annual salary of an office clerical assistant.
The top three skills for an office clerical assistant include data entry, customer service and patients. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $28,373 | $30,927 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $14.87 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 83,010 | 106,497 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Office clerical assistants are professionals who are responsible for performing a variety of clerical tasks within an organization's office. These assistants must provide office assistance functions such as responding to emails, filing papers, and preparing schedules while handling customers at the front desk. They are required to use automated word processing equipment to produce correspondence, forms, or reports. Clerical assistants must also answer high profile telephone calls and forward the messages to the appropriate person.
Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.
Office clerical assistants and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Clerk | |
| Average salary | $28,373 | $30,927 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Englewood, CO |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | Government | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an office clerical assistant and an office clerk in terms of educational background:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office clerical assistants' and office clerks' demographics:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Clerk | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5% | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |