Short answer
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Data Entry Keyers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places data entry keyers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 25.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,700 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 10/100Higher than 3% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- -25.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 7,700BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed data entry keyers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Data Entry Keyers land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Making decisions and solving problems4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks4.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Documenting/recording information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for data entry keyers
- Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors.
- Store completed documents in appropriate locations.
- Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors.
- Select materials needed to complete work assignments.
- Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects -25.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 7,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 127,080 people work in the job today, at a median of $41,340 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full data entry keyer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than data entry keyers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $58,470median a year
- Growth
- −5.3%
- Openings / yr
- 7,300
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 40/100
- resilience
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Mail Clerk and Mail Machine Operator, Except Postal Service
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $39,280median a year
- Growth
- −7.2%
- Openings / yr
- 4,700
- Education
- High school
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 45/100
- resilience
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution.
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $45,260median a year
- Growth
- −7.6%
- Openings / yr
- 61,300
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 44/100
- resilience
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory.
Office Machine Operator, Except Computer
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $40,960median a year
- Growth
- −14.9%
- Openings / yr
- 2,100
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 41/100
- resilience
Operate one or more of a variety of office machines, such as photocopying, photographic, and duplicating machines, or other office machines.
Questions
Will AI Replace Data Entry Keyers? FAQ
Will AI replace data entry keyers?
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 25.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,700 openings a year.
How exposed are data entry keyers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Data Entry Keyers are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a data entry keyer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, repeating the same tasks and documenting/recording information. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, making decisions and solving problems and establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a data entry keyer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, data entry keyers score 10 out of 100, higher than 3% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $41,340 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to data entry keyers are less exposed to AI?
Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator (low exposure, $58,470 median), Mail Clerk and Mail Machine Operator, Except Postal Service (moderate exposure, $39,280 median), Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk (high exposure, $45,260 median), Office Machine Operator, Except Computer (high exposure, $40,960 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than data entry keyers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.