Occupation 7212 · Sales and customer service occupations
Telephonists receive and direct callers in commercial, industrial and other establishments, and operate telephone (public) and office (private) switchboards to advise on, and assist with, making telephone calls and to relay incoming, outgoing and internal calls.
Academic qualifications may not be required. On-the-job training is provided.
Call handler (motoring organisation) · Operator (telephone) · Switchboard operator (telephone) · Telephonist · Telephonist-receptionist
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | 3,600.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | 4,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | 4,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate and confidence interval not available since the group sample size is zero or disclosive (0-2) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate and confidence interval not available since the group sample size is zero or disclosive (0-2) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | 4,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 7212 : Telephonists | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500 |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| London | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| North East | 7212 : Telephonists | None | 500.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| South East | 7212 : Telephonists | None | 800.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 7212 : Telephonists | None | 800.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 7212 : Telephonists | None | 700.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 7212 : Telephonists | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 4 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
Call and contact centre occupations · Communication operators · Customer service occupations n.e.c. · Market research interviewers