AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 43-2011.00
Will AI replace Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: AI can already handle 2 of 19 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 19 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Answer simple questions about clients' businesses, using reference files. | Observed | Standard | |
| Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Complete forms for sales orders. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Relay or route written or verbal messages. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Process incoming or outgoing mail, packages, or deliveries. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform administrative tasks, such as accepting orders, scheduling appointments or meeting rooms, or sending and receiving faxes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place orders, such as for equipment, supplies, or catering for meetings. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 19 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 of 19. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 81% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 34,280
- Median annual wage
- $38,630
- Middle half of earners
- $34,820 to $46,530
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -26.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Telephone Operators 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure75
- Receptionists and Information Clerks 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure72
- Public Safety Telecommunicators 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure38
- Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure21
- Office Clerks, General 56% skill overlap, about 16 months to move Exposure53
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service and AI
Will AI replace Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
AI already handles 2 of the 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 34 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -26.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
34 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 19 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules; Answer simple questions about clients' businesses, using reference files. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 81% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, and what do they earn?
34,280 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $38,630 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -26.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/switchboard-operators-including-answering-service
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