Headline risk
78%
Very High RiskTelephone operators
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
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.
Task evidence
93% weighted task match · 6% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 39,130
Employment 2024
4.0K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-27.5%
Openings (2024–34)
0.3K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Projections published, but no prose outlook available.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. 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. AI use: 0%
- 2. Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. AI use: 0%
- 3. Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations. AI use: 0%
- 4. Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information. AI use: 0%
- 5. Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information. AI use: 0%
- 6. Update directory information. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 40.9 · 404K employed
Under 25: 14% · 25–54: 65% · 55+: 21%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.