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Service worker vs human service specialist

The differences between service workers and human service specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a service worker and a human service specialist. Additionally, a human service specialist has an average salary of $49,025, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a service worker.

The top three skills for a service worker include customer service, cleanliness and patients. The most important skills for a human service specialist are mental health, social work, and program eligibility.

Service worker vs human service specialist overview

Service WorkerHuman Service Specialist
Yearly salary$30,045$49,025
Hourly rate$14.44$23.57
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs103,584124,752
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a service worker do?

A service worker is responsible for assisting the community welfare development by providing social services to an organization or specific individual groups, supporting their needs, and addressing their community concerns. Service workers also offer counseling services to their clients to guide them on how they manage their life crises, developing community activities and job opportunities to help citizens with their financial needs by consulting local organizations. A service worker must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as deep engagement with the community to assess the client's situation properly.

What does a human service specialist do?

Human services specialists provide a range of social services with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people they serve. They can work for organizations, including housing associations, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers, residential care homes, and food banks. Most of their duties involve interacting with people and conduct counseling. This job also requires active listening skills to comprehend your clients easily and understand their needs to provide care for people in difficult circumstances.

Service worker vs human service specialist salary

Service workers and human service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Service WorkerHuman Service Specialist
Average salary$30,045$49,025
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $40,000Between $33,000 And $71,000
Highest paying CityBeaverton, OROakland, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaHawaii
Best paying companyMassachusetts General HospitalRegeneron
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between service worker and human service specialist education

There are a few differences between a service worker and a human service specialist in terms of educational background:

Service WorkerHuman Service Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaSUNY at Binghamton

Service worker vs human service specialist demographics

Here are the differences between service workers' and human service specialists' demographics:

Service WorkerHuman Service Specialist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 38.8% Female, 61.2%Male, 22.5% Female, 77.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%Black or African American, 15.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between service worker and human service specialist duties and responsibilities

Service worker example responsibilities.

  • Manage a caseload of over one hundr TANF cases.
  • Assist in managing inventory for student and staff culinary and scholastic supplies.
  • Receive specialized training on CPR, human rights and history of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
  • Implement HIPAA standards within the facility.
  • Copy patient medical records when request within HIPPA regulations.
  • Used scrubbers, mops, and seal and wax floors.
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Human service specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
  • Establish effective liaisons with community agencies to ensure coordination of services to patients.
  • Developed/Implement a health education/risk reduction program for HIV/AIDS patients engaging in high-risk behaviors.
  • Help clients reach self-sufficiency by referring clients to employment and vocational rehabilitation agencies.
  • Work with employees of local drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers to determine eligibility for inpatients.
  • Assign as a provider enrollment specialist responsible for credentialing and enrolling new medical providers into the Medicaid provider network.
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Service worker vs human service specialist skills

Common service worker skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Cleanliness, 10%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Crisis Intervention, 5%
Common human service specialist skills
  • Mental Health, 13%
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Program Eligibility, 6%
  • Medicaid, 5%
  • Social Services, 5%
  • Community Resources, 5%

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