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The differences between office clerical assistants and office support assistants 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 support assistant. Additionally, an office support assistant has an average salary of $33,548, 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 support assistant are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Support Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $28,373 | $33,548 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $16.13 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 83,010 | 134,113 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| 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.
An office support assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to keep offices running smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities typically include answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files, and coordinating with different departments. There are also instances where they must attend meetings and take down information, greet visitors, and monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, they may assist the staff when it comes to programs and projects.
Office clerical assistants and office support assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Support Assistant | |
| Average salary | $28,373 | $33,548 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | Sierra Pacific Industries |
| Best paying industry | Government | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an office clerical assistant and an office support assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Support Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office clerical assistants' and office support assistants' demographics:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Office Support Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5% | Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |