jobfacts

Data entry administrators

SOC 2020 4152

Data entry administrators enter a variety of information into databases using various software packages and assist colleagues in retrieving information.

Also calledData processorInput clerkIbm operatorKey-to-disc operatorComputer assistantPunch card operatorand 66 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,3002025 Provisional
People in the job23,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month534↓ 7.5%on last year · 256th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time data entry administrators earn between £24,900 and £33,300 a year.

What full-time data entry administrators earn, 2025
£28,300 typical£24,200lowest 20%£33,30075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£24,900–£33,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,200
25%£24,900
Median£28,300
75%£33,300
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,300
Wales!£33,200
Yorkshire and The Humber!£29,100
South East!£29,100
West Midlands!£28,800
London!£28,100
North West!£27,800
Scotland!£27,100
East of England!£25,700
East Midlands!£23,800
North East!£22,400
South WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,300
Wales£33,200 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£29,100 (small sample)
South East£29,100 (small sample)
West Midlands£28,800 (small sample)
London£28,100 (small sample)
North West£27,800 (small sample)
Scotland£27,100 (small sample)
East of England£25,700 (small sample)
East Midlands£23,800 (small sample)
North East£22,400 (small sample)
South WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £23,300
  • 2024 £25,900
  • 2025 Provisional£28,300
↑ 22% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 534 jobs for data entry administrators are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026538
Jul 2026617
Jun 2026574
May 2026573
Apr 2026437
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026428
Jan 2026543
Dec 2025323
Nov 2025545
Oct 2025659
Sept 2025638
Aug 2025509
Jul 2025618
Jun 2025561
May 2025727
Apr 2025597
Mar 2025680
Feb 2025626
Jan 2025545
Dec 2024398
Nov 2024589
Oct 2024615
Sept 2024568
Aug 2024657
Jul 2024770
Jun 2024741
May 2024728
Apr 2024736
Mar 2024635
Feb 2024687
Jan 2024854
Dec 2023523
Nov 2023794
Oct 2023986
Sept 20231,180
Aug 2023964
Jul 2023947
Jun 20231,368
May 20231,730
Apr 20231,023
Mar 20231,159
Feb 20231,257
Jan 20231,310
Dec 20221,217
Nov 20221,492
Oct 20221,539
Sept 20221,530
Aug 20221,599
Jul 20221,790
Jun 20221,652
May 20221,746
Apr 20221,469
Mar 20221,778
Feb 20221,525
Jan 20222,052
Dec 20211,504
Nov 20211,651
Oct 20211,576
Sept 20211,625
Aug 20211,369
Jul 20211,407
Jun 20211,278
May 20211,140
Apr 2021963
Mar 20211,396
Feb 2021760
Jan 2021837
Dec 2020756
Nov 2020810
Oct 2020876
Sept 2020768
Aug 2020606
Jul 2020633
Jun 2020513
May 2020499
Apr 2020633
Mar 20201,063
Feb 20201,317
Jan 20201,200
Dec 2019862
Nov 20191,145
Oct 20191,370
Sept 20191,283
Aug 20191,288
Jul 20191,544
Jun 20191,510
May 20191,471
Apr 20191,044
Mar 20191,355
Feb 20191,181
Jan 20191,324
Dec 2018762
Nov 20181,066
Oct 20181,203
Sept 20181,435
Aug 20181,112
Jul 20181,079
Jun 20181,114
May 20181,478
Apr 20181,075
Mar 20181,201
Feb 20181,534
Jan 20181,434
Dec 2017857
Nov 20171,264
Oct 20171,273
Sept 20171,339
Aug 20171,645
Jul 20171,326
Jun 20171,435
May 20171,382
Apr 20171,444
Mar 20171,739
Feb 20171,312
Jan 20171,673
Is there a shortage of data entry administrators?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedWell above usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
16%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other administrative occupations, which includes data entry administrators. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London277
Manchester40
Birmingham40
Leeds37
Bristol, City of33
Newcastle upon Tyne23
Glasgow City21
Nottingham20
Bradford19
Sheffield18
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where data entry administrators are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of data entry administrators
32%!
22%!
20%!
16%!
11%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2432% (small sample)
25–3422% (small sample)
35–4420% (small sample)
45–5416% (small sample)
55–6411% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!40%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!38%
GCSEs or equivalent!16%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent40% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent38% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent16% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: general public administration activities (9.5%), hospital activities (9.1%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (7.4%), other human health activities (4.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
40%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • enters customers' personal details and other Information into a database using the appropriate software
  • transfers paper-based information into electronic databases
  • updates records, such as sales or patient data
  • updates website product descriptions and details
  • assists other employees and/or customers in accessing information
  • analyses data to identify trends and patterns

Skills

  • apply information security policies
  • apply statistical analysis techniques
  • maintain data entry requirements
  • perform data cleansing
  • process data
  • apply organisational techniques
  • establish data processes
  • implement data quality processes
  • implement data warehousing techniques
  • manage data
  • manage data collection systems
  • manage ICT data classification
  • normalise data

Knowledge

  • database
  • documentation types
  • query languages
  • resource description framework query language
  • ABBYY FineReader
  • data models
  • data storage
  • information confidentiality

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for administrative occupations, a group of 20 jobs that includes data entry administrators.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 12%about 381,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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