Career Explorer Installation and repair
Grows with AI
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. May also advise customers on recommended services. Excludes team or work leaders.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 50% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +4.1% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and physical dexterity.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $79,860
- Job growth to 2035
- +4.1%
- Openings a year
- 48,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 629,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma
Where people already use AI for this work
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
- Explain technical details of products or services
- Purchase goods or services
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Supervise personnel activities
- Train others on operational or work procedures
- Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties
What the work looks like
- Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
- Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.
- Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance.
- Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workersHuman edge, growing, Index 64, +5.0%
- Commercial diversHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +4.8%
- Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installersHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +10.9%
- Locksmiths and safe repairersHuman edge, steady, Index 54, -11.7%
Also known as: Maintenance Foreman, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Supervisor, Service Manager, Electrical and Instrumentation Supervisor (E and I Supervisor), Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Facility Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Coordinator.
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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.