Office secretary vs general office clerk

The differences between office secretaries 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 secretary and a general office clerk. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

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

Office secretary vs general office clerk overview

	Office Secretary	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,118	$30,034
Hourly rate	$15.92	$14.44
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	87,771	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	2

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.

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 secretary vs general office clerk salary

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

	Office Secretary	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$33,118	$30,034
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Guidehouse	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Health Care

Differences between office secretary and general office clerk education

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

	Office Secretary	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office secretary vs general office clerk demographics

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

	Office Secretary	General Office Clerk
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	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%	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 secretary and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

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

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 secretary vs general office clerk skills

Common office secretary skills

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

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 Secretary
Office Secretary vs General Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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