Office employee vs office support specialist

The differences between office employees and office support specialists 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 support specialist. Additionally, an office support specialist has an average salary of $36,549, which is higher than the $35,825 average annual salary of an office employee.

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

Office employee vs office support specialist overview

	Office Employee	Office Support Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,825	$36,549
Hourly rate	$17.22	$17.57
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	130,301
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
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 an office support specialist do?

An office support specialist is in charge of performing clerical tasks to help offices maintain a smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, monitoring the inventory of office supplies, and processing procurement requests should there be any. They may also assist staff with projects and programs, greet visitors, and coordinate with different company departments. Furthermore, an office support specialist must enforce the company's policies and regulations.

Office employee vs office support specialist salary

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

	Office Employee	Office Support Specialist
Average salary	$35,825	$36,549
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between office employee and office support specialist education

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

	Office Employee	Office Support Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs office support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between office employees' and office support specialists' demographics:

	Office Employee	Office Support Specialist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and office support specialist 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 support specialist example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Create PowerPoint presentations to train employees on new software.
Add new documents and update calendars to the SharePoint website for team collaboration.
Conduct payroll accountability & evaluate for accuracy.
Process bi-weekly payroll for part-time civil service personnel.
Update SharePoint website regularly with new employee information.

Office employee vs office support specialist 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 support specialist skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 10%
Phone Calls, 7%
Office Equipment, 6%
Human Resources, 5%
Word Processing, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Employee
Office Employee vs Office Support Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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