Telephone operators

The median annual salary for Telephone operators in the US is $39,130.

The role is projected to decline by 28% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 4,000 workers.

The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.

The most in-demand skills for this role include characteristics of products, credit card payments, characteristics of services, guarantee customer satisfaction, create solutions to problems, perform multiple tasks at the same time. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Our AI-durability model gives Telephone operators a score of 0.79 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.

Telephone operators has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.