Hire a Data Entry in the Balkans
Outsource data entry to the Balkans — high-accuracy keying, document processing, CRM cleanup, scraping QA. 65–75% lower cost than US.
Monthly gross salary by country — Data Entry
All figures local currency. True employer cost = gross + social contributions (varies by country).
| Country | Mid (gross) | Senior (gross) | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 25,000 – 45,000 | 45,000 – 70,000 | MKD |
| Kosovo | 425 – 700 | 700 – 1,100 | EUR |
| Albania | 50,000 – 85,000 | 85,000 – 130,000 | ALL |
| Serbia | 90,000 – 160,000 | 160,000 – 240,000 | RSD |
| Bulgaria | 1,300 – 2,500 | 2,500 – 4,000 | BGN |
| Montenegro | 450 – 800 | 800 – 1,200 | EUR |
For comparison, the US benchmark for this role is $2,500/month (mid) to $3,500/month (senior).
Typical responsibilities
- Manual keying from PDFs / scans / forms into your system of record.
- CRM data cleanup: deduplication, normalisation, contact enrichment.
- Scraping QA + manual validation of automated extraction (e.g. invoice OCR cross-checks).
- Catalog management: product attribute updates, pricing entry, image labelling for e-commerce.
Balkan talent pool
- Excel / Google Sheets at intermediate-to-advanced level (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, basic macros).
- CRM data hygiene tools: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive entry forms; Apollo + ZoomInfo enrichment.
- Document processing: Adobe Acrobat, light OCR validation tooling.
- E-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento product entry.
- Specialised: medical coding (ICD-10), legal document review, accounting entry (junior).
7–14 days end-to-end (entry-level pool is the deepest)
From brief to first working day. Breakdown: 3 days for shortlist, 1–2 weeks for interviews, 5 days for contract + equipment.
FAQ — Data Entry
How is accuracy measured?
Standard SLA: 99.5% accuracy on first pass, sample-audited weekly. We can dial up QA for sensitive datasets (medical, legal, financial) at moderate premium.
Can you handle non-English content?
Yes — Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Montenegrin native. German + Italian + French C1 available with 1-week longer screening.
What about volume — can you scale to 10+ data-entry agents?
Yes. Merot regularly staffs teams of 5–15 data-entry agents for ramp projects. Lead time: 21–28 days for a 10-person team.
How secure is the data handling?
Standard: Merot-issued machines with full-disk encryption + screen-lock policy. VPN to your environment. For HIPAA / PCI scopes, separate compliance attestation provided.
Hourly vs. salary?
Standard EOR is monthly salary. For variable-volume work the Macedonian contractor regime (договор за дело) supports hourly billing — see /outsourcing/compare/eor-vs-contractor.
Can they QA my AI / automated extraction?
Yes — increasingly common workflow. Agents validate AI-extracted invoice / form / receipt fields and correct mistakes. ~30–40% faster than full manual entry.
Do you provide screen-recording for QA?
Optional. For sensitive contracts we use Hubstaff or Time Doctor with the agent's informed consent. Most clients don't require it.
What's a realistic per-record cost?
Highly variable: simple form (15 fields) → ~$0.50–$1.00; complex unstructured PDF extraction → $3–$8. For sustained volume, monthly salary works out 30–50% cheaper than per-record billing.
Book a call about hiring a Data Entry
Free 30-minute call. Shortlist in 3 days.