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 5 - North Central	50	14	$11.98/hr	$0.37/hr	$9.89/hr	$10.80/hr	$12.14/hr	$13.45/hr	$14.39/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.

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	520	$12.32/hr	N/A
Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators	230	$15.83/hr	N/A
Medical Secretaries	140	$15.87/hr	N/A
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	80	$15.74/hr	N/A
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	60	$21.14/hr	N/A
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	N/A	$15.43/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.