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The differences between organizational development specialists and workforce development specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an organizational development specialist and a workforce development specialist. Additionally, an organizational development specialist has an average salary of $71,788, which is higher than the $43,666 average annual salary of a workforce development specialist.
The top three skills for an organizational development specialist include organizational development, project management and human resources. The most important skills for a workforce development specialist are social services, training programs, and HR.
| Organizational Development Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,788 | $43,666 |
| Hourly rate | $34.51 | $20.99 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 70,016 | 80,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An organizational development specialist is responsible for identifying the operational challenges of the organization, developing strategic procedures to improve policies, and ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of business processes. Organizational development specialists address the employees' inquiries and concerns with operational procedures and develop comprehensive training and programs to maximize their productivity and skill knowledge on the production. They may also recommend changes in the organizational structure, depending on operational demands and required support. An organization development specialist creates progress reports, designs assessment materials, and analyzes training survey data.
A workforce development specialist is responsible for designing and conducting training and development programs to significantly improve organizational and individual performance. You will perform a few duties that include evaluating training delivery modes, such as virtual or in-person to optimize training effectiveness and costs, developing, obtaining, or organizing training guides and procedure manuals, and coordinating the placement of trainees. As a workforce development specialist, you also have to choose and assign training instructors and negotiating contracts with clients.
Organizational development specialists and workforce development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Organizational Development Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $71,788 | $43,666 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $104,000 | Between $28,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Citrix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an organizational development specialist and a workforce development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Organizational Development Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between organizational development specialists' and workforce development specialists' demographics:
| Organizational Development Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6% | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |