Telephone Operators
Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-2021
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 43-2021 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 38/100
- Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $41,740
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 500
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -27.5%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 552 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- 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.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~89.5% of this role but only ~0% 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
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.
Common titles: 411 Directory Assistance Operator (411 Directory Assistance Op), Directory Assistance Operator (Directory Assistance Op), Information Specialist, Live Source Operator (Live Source Op), Long Distance Operator (LD Operator), PBX Operator (Post Box Exchange Operator)
Representative Tasks
- •Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
- •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.
- •Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
- •Update directory information.
- •Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate communications equipment or systems.
- •Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
- •Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information.
- •Assist individuals with paperwork.
- •Enter information into databases or software programs.
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 | 0.0% | 33.9% |
| Outlook | Average | 22% Bright |
| Median Salary | $41,740 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |