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The differences between senior benefits specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior benefits specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $50,211 average annual salary of a senior benefits specialist.
The top three skills for a senior benefits specialist include customer service, HR and HRIS. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Senior Benefits Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,211 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $24.14 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 34,999 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Typically working in a company's human resources department, a senior benefits specialist manages benefits and compensation programs for the employees. They are mostly in charge of designing and developing plans for retirement, stock ownership, healthcare, and pension. To carry out their duties, they must perform extensive research and analysis, coordinate efforts with staff and other experts, put costs and budgets into consideration, and liaise with external parties such as vendors and plan providers, building positive relationships for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a senior benefits specialist must also assist employees by answering their inquiries and explaining how the benefits programs work.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Senior benefits specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Benefits Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,211 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $72,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a senior benefits specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Benefits Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior benefits specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Senior Benefits Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |