Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Machines can already do 57% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 78%. Most of the work is changing now.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 57% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 39% of them.
- Forecast: machines can already do half of its tasks, and 78% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 34,280 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $38,630 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 86% for contact with people.
- Also called: CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator), Central Communications Specialist, Communications Operator, Communications Specialist.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary | 37% | 85% to 87% | |
| Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address | 13% | 40% to 80% | |
| Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts | 6% | 10% to 32% | |
| Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness | 6% | 40% to 80% | |
| Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location | 4% | 38% to 72% | |
| Relay or route written or verbal messages | 4% | 30% to 54% | |
| Process incoming or outgoing mail, packages, or deliveries | 4% | 20% to 60% | |
| Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules | 4% | 78% to 97% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills switchboard operators, including answering service use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Telephone Operators70% of tasks by 2035 · US median $41,740
- Receptionists and Information Clerks77% of tasks by 2035 · US median $38,010
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks69% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,070
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers72% of tasks by 2035 · US median $58,650
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
Machines can already do half of its tasks. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of switchboard operators, including answering service?
Machines can do 57% of the tasks of switchboard operators, including answering service today and 78% by 2035. Most of the routine work moves to machines, and the people in the job move to oversight, judgement and client work.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 43-2011.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/switchboard-operators-including-answering-service/