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The differences between purchasing assistants and procurement analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a purchasing assistant, becoming a procurement analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a procurement analyst has an average salary of $64,448, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.
The top three skills for a purchasing assistant include purchase orders, purchase requisitions and customer service. The most important skills for a procurement analyst are purchase orders, supplier performance, and customer service.
| Purchasing Assistant | Procurement Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $38,331 | $64,448 |
| Hourly rate | $18.43 | $30.98 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 8,415 | 75,154 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A purchasing assistant is responsible for obtaining raw materials and goods for a business or company. They primarily function to assist purchasing managers or supervisors by keeping records, maintaining inventory, reviewing purchase orders, and monitoring shipments and deliveries. Furthermore, a purchasing assistant may perform administrative support tasks ranging from arranging appointments and managing schedules, answering calls and inquiries, reaching out to vendors and suppliers, producing reports, and coordinating with various departments to ensure the smooth flow of products within the company.
Procurement analysts procure favorable contracts by acting as liaisons between suppliers and their employers. They are hired by organizations that rely on supply chain management to analyze and evaluate potential suppliers, prepare reports about monthly supply costs, and negotiate contracts. With good critical thinking skills, these procurement analysts who are also known as purchasing analysts, evaluate vendors and suppliers based on the speed of delivery, quality, and price. They use quantitative methods to support fact-based decision-making to become competitive and to ensure cost-efficiency and high quality of the products and services.
Purchasing assistants and procurement analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Purchasing Assistant | Procurement Analyst | |
| Average salary | $38,331 | $64,448 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $47,000 | Between $45,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Maryland |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a purchasing assistant and a procurement analyst in terms of educational background:
| Purchasing Assistant | Procurement Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between purchasing assistants' and procurement analysts' demographics:
| Purchasing Assistant | Procurement Analyst | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2% | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 12% |