Data Entry Clerks

Following World War II, the electronic technology that had been used during the war was transferred to government and business sectors. This technology included one of the earliest computers. The first all-purpose electronic digital computer was named ENIAC. Developed at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, it relied on thousands of vacuum tubes like the ones used in the first television sets and radios. In 1951, UNIVAC became the first computer that could handle large amounts of both numeric and alphabetic data. 

In the 1960s, the invention of the transistor made it possible to build smaller, more powerful computers. Computers designed specifically for home use were introduced in the 1970s. As the computer field continued to produce faster, more efficient, and more powerful computers, the capacity of the machines to read, store, process, and organize information dramatically increased. By the late 1970s, computers were indispensable to private companies, schools, hospitals, and government agencies, all of which rely on vast amounts of information.

Today, all types of organizations use computers to process and organize many different kinds of data and information. For example, hospitals maintain computerized patient records and schools automate student transcripts.

In recent years, employment for data entry clerks has declined because of the development of computer systems and technology (e.g., scanners, voice recognition technology, web forms, etc.) that allow organizations to collect information directly from customers, vendors, and other sources.