Data entry is a legit way to work at home, but it won't make you rich.
Data entry
is one of those jobs that's pretty much what it sounds like—the entry
of clear and concise data into one or more platforms so that it's easily
accessible and understandable to others. Those others might be humans
or computer systems. Pay for data entry from home can range
considerably, from as little as $1 per hour up to the average rate for
an office-based data entry operator—about $15 an hour as of 2017
It's an organizational process, moving information from one format into
another, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a business or organization
that doesn't need to consolidate and organize its relevant data. The
position is sometimes referred to as a "data entry clerk" or a "keyer."
Skills Required
A data entry clerk should be a skilled typist and is typically
required to pass a keyboarding test prior to being hired. He should also
be able to interpret and understand multiple sources of data, from
scribblings on paper to website responses. The job might include verbal
transactions and entering data from recordings.
He should also be familiar enough with the type of data he's working
with that he can pick up on inconsistencies and other issues.
Some data entry work can require additional skills and
responsibilities, such as verifying data or editing, and these jobs
typically pay more. The rate will be higher if it's paid on a per-piece
basis, but it will take more time to perform, so the overall pay could
be less for someone who is not as skilled.
Education Requirements
Data entry clerks typically do not need postsecondary education or
degrees. A high school diploma or GED is satisfactory, although some
community colleges and vocational schools do offer certificate programs
in this field. Holding a certificate might not be necessary, but it will
look good on a resume and set you a step or two ahead of other
candidates for a position.
The Effect of Experience
Job duties can vary somewhat depending on the level of experience.
New data entry clerks might only be expected to enter accurate data as
quickly as possible. Volume is often as much of a goal as precision.
More experienced data entry clerks might be expected to interpret and
channel recorded information to the proper supervisor or department,
and even oversee other clerks, all while maintaining lightning speed
with their own workloads.
Data Entry Salary Information
Data entry salary information can vary considerably based on a lot of
different factors, including your status as an employee or an
independent contractor, the difficulty and skill level required by the
position, and the speed at which you can do the job. But overall, data
entry jobs generally pay modest wages. Any organization that promises
big salaries for data entry jobs is more than likely a data entry scam.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), data entry keyers—not transcriptionists or typists—are paid a
mean hourly wage of nearly $15.64 an hour as of mid-2017, from a low of
$10.37 an hour for new hires up to $22.24 an hour for a more experienced
worker employed by a generous company. This works out to about $32,530
annually, but salaries can depend heavily on the area where you work and
live.
Five states are known for ample data entry jobs as well as paying a
decent wage, according to the BLS: California, Texas, Illinois, New
York, and Florida.
These wage figures apply to employment jobs in brick-and-mortar
offices, not necessarily data entry from home. And most work-at-home
data entry jobs are not employment positions but independent
contracting.
Data Entry Pay Structures
Data entry pays using a variety of rate structures, including an
hourly rate, per-piece payment, keystrokes per hour, or keystrokes per
minute. The job might also pay per work or per audio minute. Of course,
no jobs will advertise $1-per-hour work, but complicated per-piece pay
structures can actually work out to be that little.
These other pay structures are designed to pay more to faster, more
experienced data entry operators. But a worker must earn at least the
minimum wage in the state in which the work is performed in employment
positions in the U.S. that pay in any structure other than an hourly
wage.
Transcription jobs
are sometimes advertised as data entry. These jobs can sometimes
require more skill and accuracy so they'll pay more than simple data
entry keying jobs.
Work-at-Home vs. Office Data Entry Job Salaries
Data entry jobs from home
are likely to pay less than data entry in an office. It's not simply a
matter of home-based workers often being willing to earn less in
exchange for working from home. Data entry from home is almost always
performed by independent contractors who aren't subject to minimum wage
laws. These jobs might be in competition with other global jobs from home or micro labor positions, which can also lower pay rates.
The way in which data entry work is sent to home-based workers can also affect pay. Workers who log on to crowdsourcing or micro labor sites might not be able to obtain enough pieces of work in an hour to make a good wage.
Job Growth
Significant job growth isn't expected in this field due to
advancements in technology that in many respects are replacing human
fingers. Additionally, many companies are beginning to offshore these
duties, farming them out to remote, third-party companies in countries
where labor is cheaper. Job growth in the U.S. is expected to drop by
about 2 percent in the decade from 2016 to 2026.