DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

43-2011 Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Occupational Description:

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2013
					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities	830	103	$14.92/hr	$0.41/hr	$9.55/hr	$12.20/hr	$14.80/hr	$17.47/hr	$20.09/hr
Minnesota	1,340	110	$14.44/hr	$0.25/hr	$9.65/hr	$11.64/hr	$14.26/hr	$16.99/hr	$18.89/hr
U S	125,490	1,380	$13.09/hr	$0.04/hr	$8.91/hr	$10.30/hr	$12.37/hr	$15.02/hr	$18.43/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Leading Industries for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Industry	OES Employment	OES Median Wage
Education and Health Services	290	$15.18/hr
Financial Activities	190	$14.99/hr
Professional and Business Services	140	$15.17/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	120	$13.78/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	40	$12.46/hr
Manufacturing	10	$16.45/hr

Other Regional Data For Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Geography (click title for details)	OES		Projections
Geography (click title for details)	Employment	Median Wage	% Change -
EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities	830	$14.80/hr	N/A
EDR 10 - Southeast	150	$15.31/hr	N/A
EDR 7W- Central	80	$14.62/hr	N/A
EDR 9 - South Central	60	$12.76/hr	N/A
EDR 5 - North Central	50	$12.14/hr	N/A
EDR 3 - Arrowhead	50	$11.50/hr	N/A
EDR 7E- East Central	40	$13.14/hr	N/A
EDR 1 - Northwest	30	$12.32/hr	N/A
EDR 4 - West Central	30	$13.31/hr	N/A
EDR 6E- Southwest Central	20	$12.61/hr	N/A
EDR 8 - Southwest	20	$11.39/hr	N/A

Related Occupations
Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
Occupation (click title for details)	Employment	Median Wage	% Change -
Receptionists and Information Clerks	13,020	$14.21/hr	N/A
Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators	5,830	$18.43/hr	N/A
Medical Secretaries	4,020	$18.86/hr	N/A
Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks	2,980	$20.09/hr	N/A
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	2,150	$17.74/hr	N/A
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	1,970	$14.84/hr	N/A
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	1,410	$19.37/hr	N/A

Tasks for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Operates communication system, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
Places telephone calls as instructed.
Greets caller, furnishes information to caller or visitor, and relays calls.
Relays and routes messages.
Keeps records of calls placed and charges incurred, if any.
Date stamps and files messages.
Receives visitors and obtains name and nature of business.
Performs clerical duties, such as typing, proofreading, accepting orders, scheduling appointments, and sorting mail.
Records messages, suggesting rewording for clarity and conciseness.