Office employee vs general office clerk

The differences between office employees and general 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 employee and a general office clerk. Additionally, an office employee has an average salary of $35,825, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

The top three skills for an office employee include customer service, telephone calls and customer accounts. The most important skills for a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

Office employee vs general office clerk overview

	Office Employee	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,825	$30,034
Hourly rate	$17.22	$14.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office employee do?

An office employee is someone who performs clerical and any other tasks usually performed by managers. Office employees are employed as clerical workers in offices or organizations. They execute tasks such as typing and word processing, answering phone calls, bookkeeping, and stenography. It is their responsibility to ensure the smooth daily operations of an office. Their diligence, communication skills, customer service, hard work, and attention to detail are necessary for this job.

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Office employee vs general office clerk salary

Office employees and general office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Employee	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$35,825	$30,034
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between office employee and general office clerk education

There are a few differences between an office employee and a general office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Office Employee	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs general office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between office employees' and general office clerks' demographics:

	Office Employee	General Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

Office employee example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Complete payroll by compiling hours and verifying submissions weekly, via QuickBooks.
File paperwork, organize PowerPoint presentations, assist with typing correspondence and fax documents to appropriate destination.
Demonstrate ability to maintain composure and work efficiently in a fast-pace environment while following HIPAA guidelines.

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Office employee vs general office clerk skills

Common office employee skills

Customer Service, 72%
Telephone Calls, 5%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Medical Billing, 4%
Computer System, 2%
Front Desk, 1%

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Employee
Office Employee vs General Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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