Social worker vs job counselor

The differences between social workers and job counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $49,977 average annual salary of a job counselor.

The top three skills for a social worker include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a job counselor are training programs, at-risk youth, and substance abuse.

Social worker vs job counselor overview

	Social Worker	Job Counselor
Yearly salary	$50,102	$49,977
Hourly rate	$24.09	$24.03
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	77,340	103,416
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	2	-

Social worker vs job counselor salary

Social workers and job counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Worker	Job Counselor
Average salary	$50,102	$49,977
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $67,000	Between $26,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	-
Highest paying state	Oregon	-
Best paying company	Health Advocates	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between social worker and job counselor education

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

	Social Worker	Job Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Social worker vs job counselor demographics

Here are the differences between social workers' and job counselors' demographics:

	Social Worker	Job Counselor
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	13%	11%

Differences between social worker and job counselor duties and responsibilities

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.

Job counselor example responsibilities.

Work with and case manage families receiving TANF financial benefits and with customers receiving displace worker financial help.
Monitor caseworkers to ensure rehabilitation services are properly coordinate to aid clients in achieving self-sufficiency.
Utilize aforementioned partnerships to assist TANF recipients in obtaining employment which lead to career advancement and case closure.
Addressed domestic violence and substance abuse issues, housing and all community resources relate to successful rehabilitation.
Represent elected officials & county management in civil employment litigation matters and grievance hearings.
Draft EEOC OFCCP, DOL, DFEH and PERB position statements and responses.

Social worker vs job counselor skills

Common social worker skills

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

Common job counselor skills

Training Programs, 17%
at-Risk Youth, 11%
Substance Abuse, 10%
GED, 10%
Community Resources, 9%
Vocational Training, 8%