Career Explorer Installation and repair
Human edge, growing
Automotive service technicians and mechanics
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 88% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.0% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $50,620
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.0%
- Openings a year
- 66,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 826,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
- Test performance of equipment or systems
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Repair vehicle components
- Repair tools or equipment
- Inspect vehicles
What the work looks like
- Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
- Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
- Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
- Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
- Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as automobile dealers continue to offer more vehicle repair and maintenance services and drivers increasingly prefer to take their vehicle to a dealer for servicing.
- Fewer of these jobs, as courier and delivery service providers upgrade their fleets to electric vehicles (EVs), which require less maintenance and repair services.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Farm equipment mechanics and service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 98, +10.7%
- Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +3.6%
- Industrial machinery mechanicsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +17.8%
- Recreational vehicle service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +9.7%
Also known as: Auto Mechanic (Automotive Mechanic), Auto Service Tech (Automotive Service Technician), Auto Tech (Automotive Technician), Service Technician (Service Tech), Auto Drivability Tech (Automotive Drivability Technician), Auto Mechanic (Automobile Mechanic), Auto Tech (Automobile Technician), Automatic Transmission Technician (Auto Transmission Tech).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.