Telephone Operators
Office and Administrative Support Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 43-2021.00
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
High· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.54
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 1 hidden task16 rated tasks · 15 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (93.8%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 2 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.O*NET Task ID 13243 | 1.0 |
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.O*NET Task ID 13244 | 1.0 |
Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.O*NET Task ID 13246 | 1.0 |
Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.O*NET Task ID 13247 | 1.0 |
Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.O*NET Task ID 13248 | 1.0 |
Calculate and quote charges for services such as long-distance connections.O*NET Task ID 13249 | 1.0 |
Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.O*NET Task ID 13250 | 1.0 |
Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.O*NET Task ID 13251 | 1.0 |
Consult charts to determine charges for pay-telephone calls, requesting coin deposits for calls as necessary.O*NET Task ID 13252 | 1.0 |
Provide relay service for hearing-impaired users.O*NET Task ID 13254 | 1.0 |
Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate.O*NET Task ID 13255 | 1.0 |
Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.O*NET Task ID 13256 | 1.0 |
Update directory information.O*NET Task ID 13257 | 1.0 |
Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges.O*NET Task ID 13258 | 1.0 |
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.O*NET Task ID 13245 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (14)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information. | Core |
| Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information. | Core |
| Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations. | Core |
| Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. | Core |
| Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls. | Core |
| Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail. | Core |
| Update directory information. | Core |
| Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests. | Supplemental |
| Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance. | Supplemental |
| Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants. | Supplemental |
| Provide relay service for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. | Supplemental |
| Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate. | Supplemental |
| Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls. | Supplemental |
| Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges. | Supplemental |
0.11/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 4K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 3K
- Change (2025–35)
- -27.6%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $41,740
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36124 | 전화교환 및 전화번호 안내원 | Same scope | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 4223Telephone Switchboard Operators
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Telephone switchboard operators operate telephone communications switchboards and consoles to establish telephone connections, receive caller inquiries and service problem reports, and record and relay messages to staff or clients.
Tasks
- (a) operating switchboards and consoles to connect, hold, transfer, and disconnect telephone calls;
- (b) making connections for outgoing calls;
- (c) dealing with telephone inquiries and recording messages;
- (d) forwarding messages to staff or clients;
- (e) investigating operating system problems and informing repair services.
Example occupations
Answering service operator · Telephone switchboard operator
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- call centre agentESCO 5244.1This occupation is broader
Call centre agents handle incoming or outgoing customer calls for a business. They call existing and prospective customers to promote goods and services. They also obtain sales and arrange sales visits.
- crisis helpline operatorESCO 3412.1This occupation is broader
Crisis helpline operators provide advice and support to distraught callers via the telephone. They have to deal with a diverse range of issues such as abuse, depression and financial problems. Helpline operators maintain records of the phone calls according to regulations and privacy policies.
- customer contact centre information clerkESCO 4222.1This occupation is broader
Customer contact centre information clerks provide information to customers via the telephone and other media such as email. They answer inquiries about a company's or oganisation's services, products and policies.
- emergency medical dispatcherESCO 4223.1.1This occupation is broader
Emergency medical dispatchers respond to urgent calls made to the control center, take information about the emergency situation, the address and other details and dispatch the nearest ambulance or paramedic helicopter.
- telephone switchboard operatorESCO 4223.1This occupation is broader
Telephone switchboard operators establish telephone connections by using switchboards and consoles. They also answer customer inquiries and service problem reports.
- live chat operatorESCO 4222.1.1Overlapping, not the same
Live chat operators respond to answers and requests posed by customers of all nature through online platforms in websites and online assistance services in real time. They are available to provide service through chat platforms and have the ability to solve inquiries of clients via written communication merely.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| D1408 | Conseiller / Conseillère clientèle à distance | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| M1614 | Standardiste | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 4423 | Telefonistas | Overlapping, not the same |
| 4424 | Teleoperadores | Related, not a match |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 71452 | Berufe in der Auskunft und Kundeninformation - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 71401 | Büro- und Sekretariatskräfte (ohne Spezialisierung) - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 256 | 電話応接事務員 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources