Telephone Operators

What Telephone operators Do

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.

Telephone operator Salaries

• 2020 employment: 4,800
• May 2021 median annual wage: $37,630

Job Outlook for Telephone operators

Projected employment change, 2020-30:

• Number of new jobs: -1,200
• Growth rate: -25 percent (Decline)

How to Become a Telephone operator

Education and training:

• Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent
• Work experience in a related occupation: None
• Typical on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training

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*Some content used by permission of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.

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