Switchboard Operators
United States · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34 (figures for SOC 43-2011 occupational group)
AI exposure in published research
Figures below are reproduced from external datasets without modification. Where a dataset does not cover this occupation, the value is shown as — rather than as zero.
Data provider: OpenAI · "GPTs are GPTs"
Time basis: 2023 baselineex-ante estimate
Scored against GPT-4-generation capability.
- Human rater basis
- 48.4%
- GPT-4 rater basis
- 62.9%
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
19 rated tasks · 14 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (73.7%)
- Version:
- gh-main-0471612
- License:
- MIT License · Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Data provider: Anthropic Economic Index
Time basis: Published 2026-03-05composite index
- Observed exposure
- 38.6%
Theoretical exposure index weighted by measured Claude usage, per the original report's definition.
19 tasks · usage observed in 4 · mean 19.2%
Data: Anthropic Economic Index — labor_market_impacts, CC-BY, https://huggingface.co/datasets/Anthropic/EconomicIndex
AI Changing Work uses Anthropic Economic Index data under CC-BY; Anthropic does not endorse or sponsor this site or its analyses.
- Version:
- hf-lmi-2026-03
- License:
- CC BY 4.0
- Observation period:
- — (not applicable to this release)
- Model:
- — (not stated by the source)
- Definition source:
- https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts
2023 prediction vs observation-based index published 2026-03-05
One card (GPTs are GPTs) is a 2023 estimate of what AI could theoretically do; the other (Anthropic Economic Index) is built from observed usage and was published on 2026-03-05 — that is its publication date, not the period it observed. They measure different things, so the two figures cannot be added, averaged, or ranked against each other. The older figure is kept here as a baseline for comparison rather than removed.
Caution: the Anthropic figures — observed exposure and task penetration — take the Eloundou β as one of their inputs. The two sides resembling each other is therefore not evidence that the earlier prediction came true; reading it that way is circular reasoning.
The Anthropic figures are measured on Claude users, who are not the whole economy and not the whole workforce.
The mapping of O*NET tasks and occupation codes was performed by AI Changing Work. The source figures themselves were not modified.
These indices are not forecasts. Which point in time each one belongs to is stated on the badge on its card.
Task Breakdown
- Answer and route incoming telephone calls
- Record and relay messages to appropriate personnel
- Provide basic organizational information to callers
- Maintain and update telephone directories and logs
- Handle emergency calls and escalate appropriately
About This Occupation
If you work as a Switchboard Operator, AI is rapidly displacing your role. With an automation risk of 87/100 and overall exposure at 83%, this occupation faces very high transformation pressure. The most automated task is answering and routing incoming calls at 90%. BLS projects -26% decline through 2034 as AI-powered phone systems and virtual receptionists replace traditional operators. Emergency call handling remains a human-supervised function.
ISCO-08 classification
Telephone Switchboard Operators
Definition
ILO original text (English)
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.
Definition & vocabulary source
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO) — ISCO-08 Structure
License: ILO CC BY 4.0
Official occupational information
- ONET43-2011.00
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
View original - ONET43-2021.00
Telephone Operators
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.
View original
Frequently Asked Questions
The Anthropic Economic Index puts observed exposure at 38.6%. The OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" rubric puts occupation-level β at 48.4% under human raters. Both figures are reproduced from published research without modification.
They come from two published datasets: the Anthropic Economic Index (labor_market_impacts, CC BY 4.0) and the OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric (MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI). AI Changing Work maps them onto O*NET occupation and task codes and does not calculate exposure scores of its own. AI Changing Work uses Anthropic Economic Index data under CC-BY; Anthropic does not endorse or sponsor this site or its analyses.
No. They are a diagnosis of exposure as measured at the time each source dataset was published. AI Changing Work publishes no prediction of future automation or job displacement for this occupation.