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The differences between shipping specialists and shipping coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a shipping specialist and a shipping coordinator. Additionally, a shipping coordinator has an average salary of $35,677, which is higher than the $33,465 average annual salary of a shipping specialist.
The top three skills for a shipping specialist include logistics, shipping receiving and pallet jack. The most important skills for a shipping coordinator are customer service, inventory control, and shipping receiving.
| Shipping Specialist | Shipping Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $33,465 | $35,677 |
| Hourly rate | $16.09 | $17.15 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 181,523 | 136,771 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A shipping specialist is a person who packages, manifests, and tracks all the items requested by the customers - external and internal. They keep strict item handling practices as per the recommended business practices and accurately update the needed tracking systems such as external data sources, spreadsheets, and modules. Besides filing and maintaining shipping document records as per the departmental guidelines, shipping specialists also make it easy to trace shipments by creating or printing identifying labels. Moreover, shipping specialists maintain excellent customer relationships and give timely updates relating to shipments to origin and destination.
Also called warehouse managers, shipping coordinators take responsibility for export logistics, compliance to documentation activities, and the performance of shipping services. It is their job to coordinate the functional logistics staff in facilitating freight movements based on land. They oversee various factors of the shipping process. They are also considered as the touchpoint between new recruits and the company. The skills they need include strong communication, attention to detail, leadership, and management.
Shipping specialists and shipping coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shipping Specialist | Shipping Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $33,465 | $35,677 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Puyallup, WA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Aramco Services Company |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a shipping specialist and a shipping coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Shipping Specialist | Shipping Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between shipping specialists' and shipping coordinators' demographics:
| Shipping Specialist | Shipping Coordinator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 60.4% Female, 39.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |