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The differences between supply chain planners and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supply chain planner and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a supply chain planner include supply chain, customer service and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $51,950 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $24.98 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 45,856 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The job of supply chain planners, or logisticians, is to plan, develop, and schedule project management tools in support of an organization's operations. They are responsible for managing and monitoring inventories, forecasting production and sales levels, and tracking response time and delivery performance. Other duties include analyzing the levels of finished products, developing and monitoring production plans, and generating reports. Supply chain planners are also responsible for supervising other team members and ensuring that customer service best practices are followed.
A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.
Supply chain planners and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $51,950 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $37,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Abiomed |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and purchasing agents' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |