AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door?

Task-level automation exposure for Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door: 32 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

21% weighted task index

32 of 32 tasks scored

Median Salary

$74,340 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

48,240 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+4.3% employment change

3,600 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$48,670 – $110,900

Highest medians

Rhode Island $110,900

Alaska $109,450

Connecticut $104,690

North Dakota $103,580

Washington $102,870

Lowest medians

Mississippi $48,670

South Carolina $50,800

Puerto Rico $52,660

Tennessee $57,010

Florida $57,460

State figures come from the 49-9012 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 21%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 74%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 3%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 8%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 53/100 High

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

32 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 8%

2 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 6%

2 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 86%

28 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#11780 · Core · 80% automatable

Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made.

text generation — Log maintenance and repair records from data

Maintain repair or maintenance records.

#11779 · Core · 9% automatable

Disassemble and repair mechanical control devices or valves, such as regulators, thermostats, or hydrants, using power tools, hand tools, and cutting torches.

physical manipulation — Manual repair of worn mechanical parts

Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.

#11782 · Core · 12% automatable

Lubricate wearing surfaces of mechanical parts, using oils or other lubricants.

physical manipulation — Physical lubrication task requiring hands and access

Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.

#21024 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Calibrate instrumentation, such as meters, gauges, and regulators, for pressure, temperature, flow, and level.

physical manipulation — Physical calibration to specifications

Calibrate equipment to specifications.

#11794 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Install, inspect and test electric meters, relays, and power sources to detect causes of malfunctions and inaccuracies, using hand tools and testing equipment.

visual inspection — Defect detection in electrical systems needs presence

Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects. Install electrical components, equipment, or systems. Install metering equipment.

#11783 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Test valves and regulators for leaks and accurate temperature and pressure settings, using precision testing equipment.

physical manipulation — Hands-on mechanical testing in physical environment

Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.

#11777 · Supplemental · 83% automatable

Record meter readings and installation data on meter cards, work orders, or field service orders, or enter data into hand-held computers.

data analysis — Code entry is routine data input

Enter codes or other information into computers. Document operational activities.

#11774 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Turn meters on or off to establish or close service.

physical manipulation — Physical power supply connection work

Control power supply connections.

#11785 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Shut off service and notify repair crews when major repairs are required, such as the replacement of underground pipes or wiring.

interpersonal — Install/repair coordination is situated teamwork

Control power supply connections. Communicate with coworkers to coordinate installations or repairs.

#11784 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Install regulators and related equipment such as gas meters, odorization units, and gas pressure telemetering equipment.

physical manipulation — Meter installation is hands-on field work

Install metering equipment.

#11804 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Cut seats to receive new orifices, tap inspection ports, and perform other repairs to salvage usable materials, using hand tools and machine tools.

physical manipulation — Physical cutting to specifications

Cut materials according to specifications or needs.

#11775 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Turn valves to allow measured amounts of air or gas to pass through meters at specified flow rates.

physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.

#11776 · Supplemental · 48% automatable

Report hazardous field situations and damaged or missing meters.

interpersonal — Real-time coworker coordination is relational work

Confer with coworkers to coordinate work activities.

#11797 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Vary air pressure flowing into regulators and turn handles to assess functioning of valves and pistons.

physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.

#11786 · Supplemental · 18% automatable

Examine valves or mechanical control device parts for defects, dents, or loose attachments, and mark malfunctioning areas of defective units.

visual inspection — Locating wear and damage requires physical inspection

Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear.

#11796 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Mount and install meters and other electric equipment such as time clocks, transformers, and circuit breakers, using electricians' hand tools.

physical manipulation — Meter installation is hands-on field work

Install metering equipment.

#11778 · Supplemental · 9% automatable

Connect regulators to test stands, and turn screw adjustments until gauges indicate that inlet and outlet pressures meet specifications.

physical manipulation — Connecting electrical components is manual work

Adjust the tension of nuts or bolts. Connect electrical components or equipment.

#11793 · Supplemental · 30% automatable

Investigate instances of illegal tapping into service lines.

decision support — Investigation is human fieldwork with judgment

Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.

#11795 · Supplemental · 18% automatable

Trace and tag meters or house lines.

physical manipulation — Hands-on wiring repair in physical environment

Repair electrical circuits or wiring.

#11802 · Supplemental · 18% automatable

Repair electric meters and components, such as transformers and relays, and replace metering devices, dial glasses, and faulty or incorrect wiring, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Physical component-level repair work

Repair electrical components.

#11792 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Replace defective parts, such as bellows, range springs, and toggle switches, and reassemble units according to blueprints, using cam presses and hand tools.

physical manipulation — Manual replacement of mechanical parts

Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.

#11799 · Supplemental · 25% automatable

Measure tolerances of assembled and salvageable parts for conformance to standards or specifications, using gauges, micrometers, and calipers.

physical manipulation — Physical distance measurement in field

Measure distances or dimensions.

#11801 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Clean internal compartments and moving parts, using rags and cleaning compounds.

physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity

Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.

#11788 · Supplemental · 11% automatable

Dismantle meters, and replace or adjust defective parts such as cases, shafts, gears, disks, and recording mechanisms, using soldering irons and hand tools.

physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance. Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.

#11781 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Disconnect or remove defective or unauthorized meters, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Removing equipment components requires manual dexterity

Remove parts or components from equipment.

#11787 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Attach air hoses to meter inlets, plug outlets, and observe gauges for pressure losses to test internal seams for leaks.

physical manipulation — Connecting hoses to piping is manual fitting

Connect hoses to equipment or piping.

#11791 · Supplemental · 15% automatable

Make adjustments to meter components, such as setscrews or timing mechanisms, so that they conform to specifications.

physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.

#11800 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Repair leaks in valve seats or bellows of automotive heater thermostats, using soft solder, flux, and acetylene torches.

physical manipulation — Hands-on automotive component repair

Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.

#11810 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Splice and connect cables from meters or current transformers to pull boxes or switchboards, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Connecting electrical components is manual work

Connect electrical components or equipment.

#11789 · Supplemental · 42% automatable

Advise customers on proper installation of valves or regulators and related equipment.

interpersonal — Customer product training is relational and situational

Train customers in the use of products.

#11811 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Clean plant growth, scale, paint, soil, or rust from meter housings, using wire brushes, scrapers, buffers, sandblasters, or cleaning compounds.

physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity

Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.

#11790 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Connect hoses from provers to meter inlets and outlets, and raise prover bells until prover gauges register zero.

physical manipulation — Connecting hoses to piping is manual fitting

Connect hoses to equipment or piping.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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