Office employee vs office secretary

The differences between office employees and office secretaries 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 an office secretary. Additionally, an office employee has an average salary of $35,825, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an office employee include customer service, telephone calls and customer accounts. The most important skills for an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Office employee vs office secretary overview

	Office Employee	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$35,825	$33,118
Hourly rate	$17.22	$15.92
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	74,182	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	50
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 an office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

Office employee vs office secretary salary

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

	Office Employee	Office Secretary
Average salary	$35,825	$33,118
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Professional	Telecommunication

Differences between office employee and office secretary education

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

	Office Employee	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Office employee vs office secretary demographics

Here are the differences between office employees' and office secretaries' demographics:

	Office Employee	Office Secretary
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and office secretary 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.

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

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Office employee vs office secretary skills

Common office employee skills

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

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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