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Singulariki

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Occupation · SOC 43-2011.00

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

Also called: CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator) · Communications Specialist · PBX Operator (Private Branch Exchange Operator) · Switchboard Operator (SB Operator) · Central Communications Specialist · Communications Operator · Information Specialist · Switchboard Receptionist (SB Receptionist) · Telecommunications Clerk · Telecommunications Operator · Answering Service Telephone Operator · Combination Operator

Job family: Office and Administrative Support Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-43-2011-00/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. · 1.5%
  • Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. · 0.5%
See how AI is used here →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. · 100.0% need a human
  • Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. · 100.0% need a human
  • Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. · 97.8% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

74th-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,800 openings a year (-26.3% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 3733% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High 73rd 1.0
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate 59th 0.7
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 88th 0.3

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.5), with simple added tooling (β 0.6), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.7). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 1.0 · 91st percentile among occupations · High

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. 26.9%
Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address. 0.2%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook Declining · -26.3% by 2034
Projected annual openings 2,800
Employment 2024 → 2034 36,600 → 27,000

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

54% mean task exposure (2025)
92nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−4 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Telephone Switchboard Operators · 4223 54% Gradient 3

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 37.3% working with AI · 43.1% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 3.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 52.9%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. Directive 1.5%
Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. Directive 0.5%
Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. none 0.4%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. 100.0%
Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. 100.0%
Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. 97.8%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.

    From: Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. · 1.5% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.

    From: Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. · 0.5% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.

    From: Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. · 0.4% of measured AI use · none

Tasks

All 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service 4.3
English Language 3.9
Administrative 3.7
Computers and Electronics 3.5
Telecommunications 3.3
Administration and Management 2.8
Communications and Media 2.7
Public Safety and Security 2.5
Personnel and Human Resources 2.5
Mathematics 2.5

Abilities

Oral Comprehension 4.1
Oral Expression 4.1
Speech Recognition 4.0
Speech Clarity 4.0
Near Vision 3.4
Selective Attention 3.1
Written Comprehension 3.0
Written Expression 3.0
Deductive Reasoning 3.0
Inductive Reasoning 3.0
Information Ordering 3.0
Problem Sensitivity 2.9
Perceptual Speed 2.8
Far Vision 2.8
Auditory Attention 2.8
Time Sharing 2.6
Category Flexibility 2.5

Essential skills

Active Listening 4.0
Speaking 3.9
Reading Comprehension 3.0
Monitoring 2.9
Writing 2.8
Critical Thinking 2.8
Active Learning 2.5

Transferable skills

Social Perceptiveness 3.5
Service Orientation 3.1
Coordination 3.0
Time Management 2.8
Judgment and Decision Making 2.6
Complex Problem Solving 2.5

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Access Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology
Microsoft Windows Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology
SAP software Enterprise resource planning ERP software Hot technology
IBM Notes Electronic mail software
M-Tech Hotel Service Optimization System HotSOS Facilities management software

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

Telephone Conversations 5.0
Contact With Others 5.0
E-Mail 4.6
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.6
Frequency of Decision Making 4.5
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 4.4
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.3
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 4.3
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.3
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 3.9
Written Letters and Memos 3.8
Physical Proximity 3.8
Freedom to Make Decisions 3.7
Spend Time Sitting 3.7
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 3.6
Conflict Situations 3.6
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 3.6
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 3.5
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 3.5
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.3
Time Pressure 3.2
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 2.9
Health and Safety of Other Workers 2.7
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 2.5
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 2.5
Level of Competition 2.4
Spend Time Standing 2.3
Degree of Automation 2.3
Spend Time Walking or Running 2.2
Exposed to Contaminants 2.1
Consequence of Error 2.0
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body 1.9
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People 1.8
Exposed to Disease or Infections 1.7
Public Speaking 1.6
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions 1.5
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling 1.3
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 1.3
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions 1.3
Exposed to Radiation 1.3

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Preparation level
SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

High School Diploma 88.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate 5.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 3.0%
Some College Courses 2.0%
Less than a High School Diploma 0.6%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 0.6%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Conventional 6.0
Realistic 3.6
Enterprising 3.2
Social 2.9

Interest areas

Office Work 5.9
Personal Service 2.5
Information Technology 1.8
Mechanics/Electronics 1.6
Human Resources 1.6
Accounting 1.6
Management/Administration 1.6

Work styles

Dependability 2.4
Cooperation 2.1
Social Orientation 1.9
Attention to Detail 1.9
Self-Control 1.8

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$30k10th$34k25th$38kMedian$46k75th$61k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
37k202427k2034 (proj.)-26.3% · Declining
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $29,820
25th percentile $34,250
Median (50th) $38,370
75th percentile $46,330
90th percentile $60,940
People employed 35,730

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 17,860 $39,840
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 8,250 $36,200
Accommodation and Food Services · Sector 2,640 $44,780
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 980 $34,890
Retail Trade · Sector 900 $33,990
Finance and Insurance · Sector 710 $41,540
Educational Services · Sector 700 $38,730
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 690 $39,380
Information · Sector 480 $29,680
Casino Hotels · National industry 420 $35,580
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 340 $37,490
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector 320 $35,780

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Casino Hotels · National industry 5.38× 420
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 3.94× 8,250
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 3.34× 17,860
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 1.06× 690
Accommodation and Food Services · Sector 0.8× 2,640
Information · Sector 0.71× 480
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector 0.52× 320
Finance and Insurance · Sector 0.49× 710

Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service sits at the 74th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 10th percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers Office Clerks, General First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Public Safety Telecommunicators Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance Telemarketers AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Adjacent roles

Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 92nd percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service show 74th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,800 annual U.S. openings

  • Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service rank in the 74th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 2,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be declining (-26.3%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $38,370, across about 35,730 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 37% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service show 74th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,800 annual U.S. openings

• Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service rank in the 74th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 2,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be declining (-26.3%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $38,370, across about 35,730 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 37% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-role-43-2011-00,
  title  = {Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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