Purchasing administrative assistant vs business administrative assistant

The differences between purchasing administrative assistants and business administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a purchasing administrative assistant and a business administrative assistant. Additionally, a business administrative assistant has an average salary of $38,994, which is higher than the $37,889 average annual salary of a purchasing administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a purchasing administrative assistant include purchase orders, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a business administrative assistant are powerpoint, data entry, and provides administrative support.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs business administrative assistant overview

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Business Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,889	$38,994
Hourly rate	$18.22	$18.75
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	48,872	101,678
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a purchasing administrative assistant do?

Purchasing Administrative Assistants will require a high school diploma or GED, but an associate degree or higher is preferred, as well as three or more years in a purchasing role. This career will require skills in communication and negotiation, as well as a proven history of good supply management and the ability to create and administer task priority lists based on the needs of the respective company. Paying an average salary of $42K per year, but ranging between $37K and $49K, this career choice will demand the provision of support to the purchasing process and department staff, processing documents and materials and responding to inquiries, as well as maintaining information and inventories about vendors and sources.

What does a business administrative assistant do?

A business administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support business functions and operations. Business administrative assistants manage day-to-day business transactions by responding to clients' emails and phone calls, greeting guests, filing and submitting reports, scheduling appointments and business travels, monitoring inventories, and sending out communications across the organization as needed. They also operate the data management system for customer and client information reference by following strict protocols and data protection procedures.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs business administrative assistant salary

Purchasing administrative assistants and business administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Business Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,889	$38,994
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	Between $28,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	Goldman Sachs
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and business administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between a purchasing administrative assistant and a business administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Business Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Purchasing administrative assistant vs business administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing administrative assistants' and business administrative assistants' demographics:

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Business Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 8.3% Female, 91.7%	Male, 12.2% Female, 87.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and business administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Purchasing administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Prepare purchase orders, review requisitions, supply requests and MRP purchase reports.
Assess and close A/P, A/R monthly.
Support A/P by resolving invoice problems.
Verify shipments and check into ERP system.
Certify to internally audit group for ISO compliance.

Business administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage special projects including creating PowerPoint presentations, providing budget information, and departmental planning.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Process payments for vendors utilizing QuickBooks.
Design effective PowerPoint presentations/handouts, working closely with senior management.
Produce payroll reports, verify payroll and electronically submit for processing.
Reconcile bank statements with QuickBooks systems and ensure all transactions are properly document.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs business administrative assistant skills

Common purchasing administrative assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 33%
Data Entry, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Provides Administrative Support, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%
Travel Arrangements, 3%

Common business administrative assistant skills

PowerPoint, 11%
Data Entry, 10%
Provides Administrative Support, 8%
Expense Reports, 8%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Financial Reports, 5%

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Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Purchasing Administrative Assistant vs Business Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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