Telephone Operators
Also called: 411 Directory Assistance Operator (411 Directory Assistance Op), Directory Assistance Operator (Directory Assistance Op), Phone Operator (Telephone Operator), TELECOM Op (Telecommunications Operator)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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 27.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 57% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $57,170 | $45,950 to $63,510 | 230 |
| District of Columbia | $49,330 | $40,300 to $58,510 | 50 |
| Florida | $37,180 | $36,410 to $37,180 | 70 |
| Georgia | $36,920 | $35,640 to $40,940 | 160 |
| Louisiana | $31,400 | $27,850 to $37,380 | 50 |
| Maryland | $42,460 | $41,730 to $45,790 | 110 |
| Massachusetts | $47,940 | $45,150 to $47,940 | not published |
| Michigan | $37,550 | $35,760 to $43,520 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $41,960 | $39,600 to $47,710 | 190 |
| New York | $50,220 | $39,140 to $58,170 | not published |
| North Carolina | $40,360 | $36,980 to $43,380 | 40 |
| Ohio | $36,970 | $34,320 to $39,570 | 220 |
| Oklahoma | $37,320 | $37,320 to $37,320 | 40 |
| South Carolina | not published | not published | 170 |
| Tennessee | not published | not published | 150 |
| Texas | $41,250 | $37,150 to $50,120 | 280 |
| Virginia | $42,350 | $37,250 to $46,870 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $46,590 | $44,470 to $47,820 | 60 |
Nationally: $41,740. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | 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. | Not published |
| AI alone | Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. | Not published |
| Not much | Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information. | Not published |
| Not much | Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information. | Not published |
| AI + software | Update directory information. | under 0.01% |
See all 14 tasks
| AI + software | Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI alone | Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide relay service for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests. | Not published |
| AI alone | Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance. | Not published |
| AI alone | Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges. | Not published |
| AI alone | Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #35 Process digital or online data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate communications equipment or systems | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Process digital or online data | |||
| Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance | |||
| Assist individuals with paperwork | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs |
Show all 10 activities
| Sort materials or products | |||
| Maintain operational records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Marketing or social media content25%
- Data or a spreadsheet14%
- A document or report14%
- An email or message12%
- Configuration or infrastructure9%
How they worked with Claude
81% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for telephone operators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 14,733 moves out
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 8%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Receptionists and Information Clerks Very high -1.7% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 11,453 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 5%
- 5 Recreation Workers Moderate +4.3% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 98% high school
- 2% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 27% some college
- 12% associate's
- 21% bachelor's
- 4% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 202 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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