Data Entry Keyers

Operate data entry device, such as keyboard or photo composing perforator. Duties may include verifying data and preparing materials for printing.

The occupation of "Data Entry Keyers" is assigned a relatively high automation risk of 74.3%, close to its calculated base risk of 75.0%. This stems from the nature of most core tasks, which involve routine, repetitive actions easily replicated by software and automation technologies. Key responsibilities such as entering data, correcting errors, and cross-verifying information all follow strict procedures and rules that do not require significant deviation or advanced human judgment. As advances in optical character recognition (OCR), artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation (RPA) become more widespread, the traditional need for manual keystroke data entry is diminishing. The three most automatable tasks exemplify why this role is at such a high risk. First, the process of locating and correcting data entry errors or flagging them for supervisors can now be performed using automated data integrity checks and validation scripts. Second, compiling, sorting, and verifying data prior to entry can be handled by intelligent algorithms capable of mass processing and error detection at speeds far surpassing human capability. Third, comparing data with source documents, or performing re-entry for verification purposes, is precisely the kind of work software can do once provided with a digital document pipeline. These activities are rule-based and non-adaptive, making them especially susceptible to automation. Nonetheless, there are aspects of the role somewhat resistant to full automation. Tasks like resolving garbled or indecipherable messages through cryptographic procedures and specialized equipment may require nuanced problem-solving and tailored judgment not yet achievable by machines. Loading input and output media, such as physical papers, disks, or Braille materials, still often requires human handling, especially in environments with legacy systems. Maintaining logs of activities and completed work might involve contextual awareness or responding to unexpected situations, where automation is less reliable. However, bottleneck skills such as originality—scored very low at 2.0%—indicate that creative or innovative thinking is rarely demanded, reinforcing the high overall automation threat to this occupation.