Maintenance and repair workers, general

Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.

AI Resistance Index 94 of 99

Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 94% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +4.2% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and ethical judgement.

AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.

Median pay (2025): $49,590
Job growth to 2035: +4.2%
Openings a year: 149,000
People doing it (2025): 1.6 million
Usual route in: High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
Test performance of equipment or systems
Diagnose system or equipment problems

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
Maintain tools or equipment
Position materials or components for assembly

What the work looks like

Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except enginesHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +6.7%
Wind turbine service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +29.5%
Farm equipment mechanics and service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 98, +10.7%
Commercial diversHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +4.8%

Also known as: Facilities Technician, Maintenance Engineer, Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Technician, Building Mechanic, Equipment Engineering Technician, Maintenance Journeyman, Maintenance Man.

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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.