Will AI replace data entry keyers?

Parts of the job are being automated. About 4h 18m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots already do largely on their own. The rest still needs a person. The other 3h 42m (46%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 25.5% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 9 tasks, about 4h 18m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Read source documents such as canceled checks, sales reports, or bills, and enter data in specific data fields or onto tapes or disks for subsequent entry, using keyboards or scanners. (4h 18m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

3h 42m of a typical shift, or 46%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. The biggest:

• Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors. (1h 4m a shift)
• Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered. (50m a shift)
• Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors. (43m a shift)
• Store completed documents in appropriate locations. (22m a shift)
• Select materials needed to complete work assignments. (14m a shift)

The median pay is about $41,340 a year ($19.88 an hour), 19% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Source: BLS, May 2025.

BLS projects a decline of 25.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 98,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 7,700 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 127,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.08% of all workers (BLS, May 2025).

High school diploma, some training. O*NET rates this job at level 2 of 5 for preparation.

Based on official skill ratings and the tasks that stay with people:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Time Management, Writing
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 42m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Google Docs
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots:

• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (1h 28m touched, $49k median pay)
• Word Processors and Typists (2h 21m touched, $49k median pay)
• File Clerks (1h 43m touched, $44k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 8 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.