Telephone Operating

What the Numbers Say About Telephone Operating

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Telephone Operating occupation (OPM code 382): 378 people, headcount down -2.3% versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.

Average tenure in Telephone Operating runs 10.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $44,640 per year, 59.4% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.1% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

The General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family (code 3) groups Telephone Operating together with 27 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Telephone Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Telephone Operating makes up 0.1% of the 339,466 employees across the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family, ranking #18 of 28 occupations in that family by headcount.