Learn about the types of people who become switchboard operators. This page goes into detail about the employment, gender, and ethnic ratios of the workplace.
Employment Type Mix, 2024
62% of switchboard operators work in full-time roles while 38% work part-time.
Gender Mix By Career Interest, 2024
This graph shows the distribution of females and males that are interested in becoming a switchboard operator. Four or five star ratings on CareerExplorer indicate interest.
More men than women are interested in becoming switchboard operators at a ratio of 1.48 to 1.
Actual Gender Mix, 2024
85% of switchboard operators are female and 15% are male.
Gender Bias, 2024
This is one of the most compelling statistics we collect. Gender bias shows the difference between gender interest in being a switchboard operator and the actual gender mix of people in the career.
If there is a significant difference, then it means there is a gender imbalance between those interested in becoming a switchboard operator and those who end up becoming one.
In this case there are significantly more men interested in becoming a switchboard operator than those actually working as one. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reasons why, but there are likely various forces at play, from changing interests over time to societal norms and biases.
Ethnic Mix, 2019
The largest ethnic group of switchboard operators are White, making up 55% of the population. The next highest segments are Black or African American and Other, making up 28% and 8% respectively.