Service worker vs social worker

The differences between service workers and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a service worker, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, 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 social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Service worker vs social worker overview

	Service Worker	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$30,045	$50,102
Hourly rate	$14.44	$24.09
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	103,584	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

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 social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Service worker vs social worker salary

Service workers and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Service Worker	Social Worker
Average salary	$30,045	$50,102
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $40,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Alaska	Oregon
Best paying company	Massachusetts General Hospital	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between service worker and social worker education

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

	Service Worker	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Service worker vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between service workers' and social workers' demographics:

	Service Worker	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black 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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	13%

Differences between service worker and social worker 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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Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

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Service worker vs social worker skills

Common service worker skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 10%
Patients, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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