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How much do telephonist-switchboard operators earn in Sweden?

Telephonist-switchboard operators. 2,800 people employed in Sweden.

32,000SEK

per month is the median salary for telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden in 2025. That is 16% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €2,850 / $3,300 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 25,776 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden is 32,300 SEK (2025). The median salary is 32,000 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 25,100 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 40,700 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
32,300 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
25,100 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
40,700 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
2,800
Statistics Sweden's occupational register 2024

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

25,100 SEKLowest 10%32,000 SEKMedian40,700 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 28,000–35,500 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What telephonist-switchboard operators earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 32,300 SEK 32,000 SEK 33,100 SEK 31,100 SEK
Private sector 32,100 SEK 32,200 SEK 33,100 SEK 30,700 SEK
Public sector 33,000 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,500 SEK 31,600 SEK
Central government 33,000 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,500 SEK 31,600 SEK

Salary after tax

What telephonist-switchboard operators actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 25,776 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 26,900 SEK before tax — roughly 21,929 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 40,700 SEK, which is roughly 32,269 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for telephonist-switchboard operators

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for telephonist-switchboard operators

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 25,000 40,000 Median pay Number
Men 33,100 SEK 830
Women 31,100 SEK 2,000

Women's average salary is 95% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Pay by age

Pay for telephonist-switchboard operators normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 26,900 SEK – 27,100 SEK 200
25–34 years 31,100 SEK – 30,900 SEK 390
35–44 years 32,100 SEK – 31,900 SEK –
45–54 years 34,300 SEK – 33,600 SEK –
55–64 years 35,200 SEK – 33,800 SEK –

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 31,900 SEK – 32,100 SEK –
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 31,700 SEK 31,600 SEK 31,800 SEK –
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 31,400 SEK – 30,000 SEK 310
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 31,600 SEK – 31,900 SEK 170

Pay by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 33,600 SEK – 33,700 SEK 200
East-Central Sweden 33,300 SEK – 30,500 SEK –
South Sweden 29,300 SEK – – –
West Sweden 32,300 SEK – 32,200 SEK –
North-Central Sweden 27,200 SEK – – 120

Pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 23,300 SEK in 2014 to 32,000 SEK in 2025, +37% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 4223, “telefonister”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Beställningsoperatör
  • Expeditör, telefonist
  • Expeditör, telex
  • Kontorstelefonist
  • Radiotelefonist
  • Rikstelefonist
  • Taxitelefonist
  • Telefonist
  • Telegrafexpeditör
  • Utlandstelefonist
  • Växeltelefonist

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden?

The median salary for telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden is 32,000 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so telephonist-switchboard operators sit 16% lower than the typical job.

How much do telephonist-switchboard operators earn after tax?

The median salary for telephonist-switchboard operators is 32,000 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 25,776 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for telephonist-switchboard operators?

The average (32,300 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (32,000 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what telephonist-switchboard operators typically earn.

What is the starting salary for telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: telephonist-switchboard operators aged 18–24 years earn 26,900 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 25,100 SEK.

How high can the salary go for telephonist-switchboard operators?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 40,700 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among telephonist-switchboard operators in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 95% of men's in this job. The median salary is 33,100 SEK for men and 31,100 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do telephonist-switchboard operators earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where telephonist-switchboard operators earn 33,600 SEK per month on average.

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