Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
Schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. The role reports a median annual salary of $48,880 in the US. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows high AI exposure (0.75 on a 0-1 scale) — significant portions of core tasks are already being automated. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £33,508 a year for Transport and distribution clerks and assistants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £27,996 to £39,496 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 4134). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Clerical support workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 4. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
Recognised Indian credentials for this career:
- Flight Dispatcher Licence (Flight Dispatcher Examination General - FDEG)[1]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India (read on 2026-09-26)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- English Language
- Transportation
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
What you'd actually do
- Schedule or dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles to appropriate locations, according to customer requests, specifications, or needs, using radios or telephones.
- Prepare daily work and run schedules.
- Confer with customers or supervising personnel to address questions, problems, or requests for service or equipment.
- Relay work orders, messages, or information to or from work crews, supervisors, or field inspectors, using telephones or two-way radios.
- Receive or prepare work orders.
- Record and maintain files or records of customer requests, work or services performed, charges, expenses, inventory, or other dispatch information.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance do?
Schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.
How much does Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance earn?
The median annual salary for Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in the US is $48,880.
How do I become dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Time Management. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance?
Our AI-durability model gives Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance a score of 0.75 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at high AI risk — many core tasks are already being automated by generative AI and workflow tools. Focus on AI-adjacent skills or plan a pivot to an AI-durable adjacent role.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.