Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-2011
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 43-2011 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 38.6%
- Very High · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 38/100
- Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $38,630
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 6,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -26.3%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 7,693 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~62.9% of this role but only ~38.6% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
Common titles: CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator), Central Communications Specialist, Communications Operator, Communications Specialist, Information Specialist, PBX Operator (Private Branch Exchange Operator)
Representative Tasks
- •Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- •Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
- •Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- •Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.
- •Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate communications equipment or systems.
- •Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
- •Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.
- •Refer customers to appropriate personnel.
- •Monitor alarm systems.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 38.6% | 33.9% |
| Outlook | Average | 22% Bright |
| Median Salary | $38,630 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 61/100 | N/A |