(Chat GPT 4)
If we scale the number of telephone operators from the 1940s based on population growth and assuming the same ratio of operators to population were maintained without technological changes, we can make a rough estimate for today.
In the early 1940s, the US population was approximately 132 million. With 350,000 telephone operators in the Bell System, this ratio translates to roughly one operator for every 377 people.
As of recent estimates, the US population is about 331 million. Maintaining the same ratio of one operator per 377 people would imply that if technology hadn't evolved to reduce the need for operators, there could be around 878,000 telephone operators today. This would represent a substantial portion of the workforce dedicated solely to managing telephone calls, illustrating just how significantly technology has impacted employment and efficiency in this sector.
