Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?
Task-level automation exposure for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers: 16 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
16%
weighted task index
16 of 16 tasks scored
Median Salary
$39,630 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
95,580 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.3%
employment change
13,600 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.
$23,810 – $54,860
Highest medians
District of Columbia $54,860
Hawaii $46,320
Washington $46,080
New Hampshire $45,760
Alaska $45,740
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $23,810
Guam $27,050
Wyoming $31,260
Arkansas $33,630
Mississippi $35,440
State figures come from the 49-9098 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 16%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 80%
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 39/100
Moderate
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
16 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) 6%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 7%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 87%
14 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
#3083 · Core · 5% automatable
Install or replace machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools.
physical manipulation — Replacing machine parts requires hands and tools
Install machine or equipment replacement parts.
#3081 · Core · 23% automatable
Examine and test machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning.
physical manipulation — Hands-on mechanical testing in physical environment
Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear. Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#3080 · Core · 40% automatable
Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation.
visual inspection — Detecting subtle equipment problems needs on-site sensory judgment
Observe equipment in operation to detect potential problems.
#3082 · Core · 10% automatable
Adjust, connect, or disconnect wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools.
physical manipulation — Connecting hoses to piping is manual fitting
Connect hoses to equipment or piping. Connect electrical components or equipment.
#3084 · Core · 9% automatable
Clean or lubricate vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical lubrication task requiring hands and access
Clean work areas. Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.
#3091 · Core · 7% automatable
Hold or supply tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers.
physical manipulation — Positioning hand tools requires manual dexterity
Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel. Position hand tools.
#20152 · Core · 19% automatable
Diagnose electrical problems and install and rewire electrical components.
visual inspection — Defect detection in electrical systems needs presence
Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects. Repair electrical components.
#3087 · Core · 7% automatable
Disassemble broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassemble equipment when repairs are complete.
physical manipulation — Disassembly requires hands-on tool use
Reassemble equipment after repair. Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
#3090 · Core · 8% automatable
Position vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment.
physical manipulation — Manual tool and equipment positioning in field
Position equipment using hand tools, power tools, or heavy equipment.
#3086 · Core · 8% automatable
Transfer tools, parts, equipment, and supplies to and from work stations and other areas.
physical manipulation — Manual moving of materials and supplies
Move materials, equipment, or supplies.
#20150 · Core · 13% automatable
Adjust, maintain, and repair tools, equipment, and machines, and assist more skilled workers with similar tasks.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance. Maintain work equipment or machinery.
#20151 · Core · 75% automatable
Order new parts to maintain inventory.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
#3085 · Core · 4% automatable
Apply protective materials to equipment, components, and parts to prevent defects and corrosion.
physical manipulation — Manual application of protective coverings
Apply protective coverings to objects or surfaces near work areas.
#20153 · Core · 8% automatable
Design, weld, and fabricate parts, using blueprints or other mechanical plans.
physical manipulation — Part fabrication requires physical machining and handling
Fabricate parts or components. Operate welding equipment.
#3088 · Supplemental · 3% automatable
Assemble and maintain physical structures, using hand or power tools.
physical manipulation — Assembling structural components is hands-on
Assemble structural components.
#3092 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Prepare work stations for use by mechanics and repairers.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="helpers-installation-maintenance-and-repair-workers"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> 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 →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->