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The differences between office support specialists and 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 support specialist and an office clerk. Additionally, an office support specialist has an average salary of $36,549, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.
The top three skills for an office support specialist include customer service, data entry and phone calls. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.
| Office Support Specialist | Office Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $36,549 | $30,927 |
| Hourly rate | $17.57 | $14.87 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 130,301 | 106,497 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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 clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.
Office support specialists and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Support Specialist | Office Clerk | |
| Average salary | $36,549 | $30,927 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | Englewood, CO |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Anne Arundel County Public Schools | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an office support specialist and an office clerk in terms of educational background:
| Office Support Specialist | Office Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office support specialists' and office clerks' demographics:
| Office Support Specialist | Office Clerk | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |