AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Helpers--Electricians?

Task-level automation exposure for Helpers--Electricians: 25 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

12% weighted task index

25 of 25 tasks scored

Median Salary

$42,670 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

63,630 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+0.6% employment change

6,100 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 49 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$26,370 – $61,110

Highest medians

Washington $61,110

Missouri $58,340

Colorado $56,420

Connecticut $56,020

California $52,080

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $26,370

Guam $29,120

West Virginia $33,680

New Hampshire $34,670

South Dakota $35,620

State figures come from the 47-3013 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 12%

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

Physical work 92%

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

Judgment & influence 0%

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

Routine administration 0%

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 17/100 Low

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

25 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) 0%

0 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 3%

1 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 97%

24 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

#4840 · Core · 8% automatable

Strip insulation from wire ends, using wire stripping pliers, and attach wires to terminals for subsequent soldering.

physical manipulation — Electrical installation is hands-on licensed trade work

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.

#4832 · Core · 28% automatable

Trace out short circuits in wiring, using test meter.

data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use

Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.

#4833 · Core · 15% automatable

Measure, cut, and bend wire and conduit, using measuring instruments and hand tools.

physical manipulation — Physical measurement for assembly fitting

Measure materials or objects for installation or assembly. Cut metal components for installation.

#4839 · Core · 19% automatable

Examine electrical units for loose connections and broken insulation and tighten connections, using hand tools.

visual inspection — Defect detection in electrical systems needs presence

Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects. Repair electrical equipment.

#4834 · Core · 10% automatable

Maintain tools, vehicles, and equipment and keep parts and supplies in order.

physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of construction tools

Maintain construction tools or equipment.

#4835 · Core · 11% automatable

Drill holes and pull or push wiring through openings, using hand and power tools.

physical manipulation — Drilling construction materials is hands-on tool work

Drill holes in construction materials. Thread wire or cable through ducts or conduits.

#4844 · Core · 10% automatable

Clean work area and wash parts.

physical manipulation — Work site cleaning is physical labor

Clean work sites.

#4836 · Core · 13% automatable

Perform semi-skilled and unskilled laboring duties related to the installation, maintenance and repair of a wide variety of electrical systems and equipment.

physical manipulation — Physical repair of electrical equipment

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems. Repair electrical equipment.

#4841 · Core · 9% automatable

Thread conduit ends, connect couplings, and fabricate and secure conduit support brackets, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Part fabrication requires physical machining and handling

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems. Fabricate parts or components. Thread wire or cable through ducts or conduits.

#4837 · Core · 18% automatable

Disassemble defective electrical equipment, replace defective or worn parts, and reassemble equipment, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Physical repair of electrical equipment

Repair electrical equipment.

#4842 · Core · 10% automatable

Construct controllers and panels, using power drills, drill presses, taps, saws, and punches.

physical manipulation — Part fabrication requires physical machining and handling

Fabricate parts or components.

#4838 · Core · 7% automatable

Transport tools, materials, equipment, and supplies to work site by hand, handtruck, or heavy, motorized truck.

physical manipulation — Manual moving of construction materials on site

Move construction or extraction materials to locations where they are needed.

#4843 · Core · 10% automatable

String transmission lines or cables through ducts or conduits, under the ground, through equipment, or to towers.

physical manipulation — Threading wire through conduits is manual

Thread wire or cable through ducts or conduits.

#4846 · Core · 8% automatable

Install copper-clad ground rods, using a manual post driver.

physical manipulation — Electrical installation is hands-on licensed trade work

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.

#4848 · Core · 3% automatable

Dig trenches or holes for installation of conduit or supports.

physical manipulation — Manual digging with tools in ground

Dig holes or trenches.

#4847 · Core · 8% automatable

Raise, lower, or position equipment, tools, and materials, using hoist, hand line, or block and tackle.

physical manipulation — Hands-on positioning of heavy construction equipment

Move construction or extraction materials to locations where they are needed. Position construction or extraction equipment.

#4850 · Core · 8% automatable

Bolt component parts together to form tower assemblies, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Electrical installation is hands-on licensed trade work

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.

#4845 · Core · 9% automatable

Erect electrical system components and barricades, and rig scaffolds, hoists, and shoring.

physical manipulation — Erecting temporary structures requires physical assembly

Assemble temporary equipment or structures. Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.

#4855 · Supplemental · 3% automatable

Trim trees and clear undergrowth along right-of-way.

physical manipulation — Manual clearing of debris and vegetation outdoors

Remove debris or vegetation from work sites.

#4849 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Requisition materials, using warehouse requisition or release forms.

decision support — Construction procurement needs human supplier judgment

Order construction or extraction materials or equipment.

#4854 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Solder electrical connections, using soldering iron.

physical manipulation — Electrical installation is hands-on licensed trade work

Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.

#4851 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Paint a variety of objects related to electrical functions.

physical manipulation — Applying paint requires physical brush or spray work

Apply paint to surfaces.

#4853 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Break up concrete, using airhammer, to facilitate installation, construction, or repair of equipment.

physical manipulation — Breaking rock and concrete is physical labor

Break up rock, asphalt, or concrete.

#23977 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Operate heavy equipment, such as backhoes.

physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually

Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment. Operate excavation equipment.

#4852 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Operate cutting torches and welding equipment, while working with conduit and metal components to construct devices associated with electrical functions.

physical manipulation — Welding is skilled hands-on metalwork

Weld metal components.

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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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