Office worker vs office secretary

The differences between office workers 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 worker and an office secretary. Additionally, an office worker has an average salary of $41,003, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an office worker include data entry, administrative tasks and powerpoint. The most important skills for an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Office worker vs office secretary overview

	Office Worker	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$41,003	$33,118
Hourly rate	$19.71	$15.92
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	84,397	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office worker do?

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

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 worker vs office secretary salary

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

	Office Worker	Office Secretary
Average salary	$41,003	$33,118
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $71,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Fred Hutch	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Education	Telecommunication

Differences between office worker and office secretary education

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

	Office Worker	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Office worker vs office secretary demographics

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

	Office Worker	Office Secretary
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 worker and office secretary duties and responsibilities

Office worker example responsibilities.

Manage daily office operations maintaining accurate records for payroll and other checks.
Train in installing windows, showers and glass into homes and commercial businesses.
Used QuickBooks to accurately compute and produce invoices to be mail to various customer companies.
Serve as office secretary, organizing files, answering phones, delivering payroll and deposits, organize incoming mail and invoices.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.

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 worker vs office secretary skills

Common office worker skills

Data Entry, 28%
Administrative Tasks, 22%
PowerPoint, 18%
Payroll, 16%
Customer Service, 4%
Telephone Calls, 2%

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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