Office secretary vs office technician

The differences between office secretaries and office technicians 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 an office technician. Additionally, an office technician has an average salary of $34,956, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an office secretary include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for an office technician are data entry, patients, and office equipment.

Office secretary vs office technician overview

	Office Secretary	Office Technician
Yearly salary	$33,118	$34,956
Hourly rate	$15.92	$16.81
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	87,771	82,512
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 an office technician do?

An Office Technician handles installation and repair tasks by using power tools and manual equipment safely and effectively. Besides installing, maintaining, and repairing central office equipment, an office technician also installs, tests, and labels cable lines. They deactivate, activate, and maintain office equipment. Other duties performed by office technicians include removing non-functional and unused office equipment, managing equipment stations and telecommunication rooms cabling, and maintaining inspection, repair, maintenance, and installation documents. Also, these professionals work as per environmental, safety, and health policies.

Office secretary vs office technician salary

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

	Office Secretary	Office Technician
Average salary	$33,118	$34,956
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Guidehouse	Motorola Solutions
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Construction

Differences between office secretary and office technician education

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

	Office Secretary	Office Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office secretary vs office technician demographics

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

	Office Secretary	Office Technician
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office secretary and office technician 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

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Office technician example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Interact with SCO divisions, other agencies and campuses and the public, to resolve distribution problems concerning mail and payroll.
Communicate payroll information with employees.
Verify eligibility and coverage with Medicaid and Medicare.
Certify to perform refraction to patients participating in clinical trials.
Provide patients with surgical and procedural information and instructions as appropriate.

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Office secretary vs office technician skills

Common office secretary skills

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

Common office technician skills

Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 11%
Office Equipment, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Word Processing, 5%
Payroll, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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