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 Third Quarter, 2012
					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
EDR 10 - Southeast	100	8	$15.51/hr	$0.51/hr	$11.28/hr	$13.24/hr	$15.71/hr	$17.67/hr	$19.00/hr
Minnesota	1,600	139	$13.99/hr	$0.34/hr	$10.19/hr	$11.27/hr	$13.50/hr	$16.44/hr	$18.58/hr
U S	132,680	1,592	$13.13/hr	$0.04/hr	$8.92/hr	$10.33/hr	$12.46/hr	$15.10/hr	$18.44/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	70	$16.40/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	1,060	$13.49/hr	N/A
EDR 3 - Arrowhead	100	$12.56/hr	N/A
EDR 10 - Southeast	100	$15.71/hr	N/A
EDR 7W- Central	70	$15.52/hr	N/A
EDR 9 - South Central	50	$12.98/hr	N/A
EDR 5 - North Central	40	$12.65/hr	N/A
EDR 4 - West Central	30	$13.18/hr	N/A
EDR 7E- East Central	30	$11.54/hr	N/A
EDR 1 - Northwest	20	$12.75/hr	N/A
EDR 8 - Southwest	N/A	$11.20/hr	N/A

Related Occupations
Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
Occupation (click title for details)	Employment	Median Wage	% Change -
Medical Secretaries	2,130	$19.66/hr	N/A
Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators	1,120	$19.24/hr	N/A
Receptionists and Information Clerks	1,110	$12.85/hr	N/A
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	220	$14.03/hr	N/A
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	200	$21.11/hr	N/A
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	90	$17.06/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.