Why We Love It
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$30,810Potential Avg. Salary
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-3.6%Job Growth Rate
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Don't Take Work HomeCareer Attribute
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Flexible HoursCareer Attribute
The role of a data entry clerk mainly requires you to enter and update any information within a company database. This might involve editing the company guidelines, photocopying paperwork for filing and keeping customer records up to date.
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What is a Data Entry Clerk?
Duties
As a data entry clerk, you are expected to perform the following tasks effectively:
- Keep track of a wide range of both manual and computerized files or records, in order to supply documentation that aligns with relevant administrative and legal obligations.
- Create communication materials like correspondence, reports, memos and other documentation in confidentiality, as needed by the respective department.
- Support health and safety compliance generated from collected data such as regulatory submissions, paperwork regarding permits and other related incidents.
- Assists with other clerical duties as deemed necessary, such as photocopying, faxing documents and taking care of storage, filing and collecting various training materials for future use.
Day In The Life
Depending on where you work, the job of a data entry clerk will include taking phone calls, photocopying important documents and providing office support to contribute to everyday responsibilities. Most of your day may involve repetitive activities such as inputting certain information into a manual or computerised database. The type of information you are responsible for entering into a system, differs from company to company. For instance, if you are working in sales, it will likely be sales data or contact lists of potential or new customers. By contrast, if you work for a research organisation, you may be recording statistics from a survey.
Most roles are entry-level and require data entry clerks to possess limited knowledge of office software and processes. You should demonstrate an awareness of proper etiquette in the office, which is reflected in your regular attire. While the job might consist of routine simple tasks, your contribution will be valuable as the company’s first point of contact, through whom calls go through.
Work Schedule
If the company is small-scale, the data entry role requirements are minimum so work hours are flexible – you can be a part-time worker or take on additional duties as a personal assistant or other junior administrative staff. At big organisations, your role will have to be either part-time or full-time based on the workload. You may be expected to work overtime occasionally, outside the normal hours of operation – this can include odd timings on the weekends and late evenings. The environment could be highly stressful with tight deadlines and constant pressure to be timely.
Growth Of The Job
The employment growth rate for all data entry professionals, as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, is expected to decline by 7 percent till 2020. However, there will still be sufficient job opportunities for aspiring candidates since there is a high turnover rate in this field of work. With adequate experience in beginner level data entry, you can easily move up the career ladder to better prospects.
Typical Employers
Typical employers include both public and private agencies, since most organisations are in need of data entry professionals as an entry-level post.
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How To Become a Data Entry Clerk
A high school diploma or GED equivalent is the minimum educational qualification that a data entry clerk must have for employment. It is vital that you are able to concentrate on minor details and pay attention at all times. While the keyboarding or typing speed requirements vary, you must qualify with regard to the requested employer-mandated keystrokes-per-hour, or KPH, speeds. If you have no previous exposure to data entry and you’d like employment in that field, the first step would be to become reasonably skilled as a keyboardist or typist.
In addition, you must have strong math and English skills — both writing and speaking— to be successful in this field. You’ll probably need possess a general understanding of applications such as Microsoft Office, and should be familiar with using emails in a professional workplace. Since data entry clerks have many roles to uphold, it is crucial that they have superior customer service techniques and they can handle multiple tasks at the same time. Accuracy is the most important part when it comes to have the right skill combination to be a proficient data entry clerk. The information you are working with can often be very sensitive and confidential, thus it must be sent across to the right people or recorded correctly, such that there are no problems for the supervisor or team as a whole.
Data Entry Clerk Salary Data
We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.
National Anual Salary
Low Range
$23,950Average
$30,810High Range
$44,140National Hourly Wage
Low Range
$12/hrAverage
$15/hrHigh Range
$21/hrHow do Data Entry Clerk salaries stack up to other jobs across the country? Based on the latest jobs data nationwide, Data Entry Clerk's can make an average annual salary of $30,810, or $15 per hour. This makes it an Above Average Salary. On the lower end, they can make $23,950 or $12 per hour, perhaps when just starting out or based on the state you live in.
Salary Rankings And Facts
#688 Nationally for All Careers
Highest Education Among Data Entry Clerks
- 0.4% Doctorate
- 3% Masters
- 17.5% Bachelors
- 12.8% Associates
- 33.5% College
- 29.9% High School
- 2.8% Less than High School
Job Growth Projections and Forecast
2014 Total Jobs
216,8002024 Est. Jobs
208,900Job Growth Rate
-3.6%Est. New Jobs
-7,900How does Data Entry Clerk job growth stack up to other jobs across the country? By 2024, there will be a change of -7,900 jobs for a total of 208,900 people employed in the career nationwide. This is a -3.6% change in growth over the next ten years, giving the career a growth rate nationwide of Below Average.
Growth Rankings And Facts
#685 Nationally for All Careers
What Companies Employ The Most Data Entry Clerks
| Industry | Current Jobs | New Jobs Needed | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary help services | 28,400 | 600 | 1% |
| Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services | 10,100 | -1,200 | -1% |
| Data processing, hosting and related services | 9,600 | -800 | -1% |
