Vulnerable
Last Update: 5/19/2026
AI Resilience Score for Telephone Operators:
0.9%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Low
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Low
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
This result is backed by strong agreement across multiple data sources.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forTelephone Operators
$39,130 median salary•300 annual openings•SOC Code: 43-2021.00
Telephone Operators are much less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 5 sources.
Telephone operator work is labeled "Vulnerable" because the core tasks — connecting calls, looking up numbers, and routing conversations — are almost perfectly suited for AI and automation, and honestly, most of that replacement has already happened. Employment in this field is projected to drop by about 27.
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Telephone operator work is labeled "Vulnerable" because the core tasks — connecting calls, looking up numbers, and routing conversations — are almost perfectly suited for AI and automation, and honestly, most of that replacement has already happened. Employment in this field is projected to drop by about 27.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Telephone Operators
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Telephone Operators jobs?
If you're worried about this career path, here's an honest snapshot: telephone operator work is one of the most heavily automated jobs around, and that trend is continuing in 2026. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects telephone operator employment will fall about 27.5% between 2024 and 2034 [1], shrinking from roughly 4,000 to 2,900 jobs nationwide. Most of the routine "connect the call" and "look up a number" tasks have already been replaced by digital directories, smartphones, and automated switching — and now AI voice agents are taking over the conversational parts too.
Industry analysts note that AI tools are increasingly being used to eliminate manual note-taking and route calls automatically [2] inside contact centers, while digital labor platforms built on voice AI are moving from "reactive" assistants toward agents that can hold full conversations [3]. The union that historically represented operators reports that AI tools are now common in call center settings and are often linked to higher stress and a more intense work environment, though some can complement human skills [4]. The tasks AI struggles with most — relay service for hearing-impaired callers, emergency assistance, and tricky spelling/location lookups — are exactly the areas where humans still add real value.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Telephone Operators?
Adoption is moving fast because the technology is cheap, widely available, and the work is mostly voice-and-text — a perfect match for today's AI. But there's pushback. Lawmakers introduced the bipartisan "Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025," which would require disclosure when AI is handling a call and let customers ask to be transferred to a human [5].
The Communications Workers of America argues that union contracts are the best tool to slow AI-driven job losses, pointing out that non-union AT&T employees were three times more likely to lose jobs than union-represented ones [4]. The hopeful takeaway: empathy, judgment, and helping people in real emergencies are still very human strengths — and workers who learn to manage and supervise AI tools are becoming more valuable, not less.
Sources
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More Career Info
Career: Telephone Operators
They connect phone calls, help people find phone numbers, and provide information to ensure clear and smooth communication.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$39,130
Jobs (2024)
4,000
Growth (2024-34)
-27.5%
Annual Openings
300
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
2
Provide relay service for hearing-impaired users.
3
Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate.
4
Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
5
Consult charts to determine charges for pay-telephone calls, requesting coin deposits for calls as necessary.
6
Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
7
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
