AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 49-9098.00
Will AI replace Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?
Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers: AI can already handle 1 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Design, weld, and fabricate parts, using blueprints or other mechanical plans. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install or replace machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assemble and maintain physical structures, using hand or power tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Disassemble broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassemble equipment when repairs are complete. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Position vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Adjust, maintain, and repair tools, equipment, and machines, and assist more skilled workers with similar tasks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Order new parts to maintain inventory. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare work stations for use by mechanics and repairers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine and test machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust, connect, or disconnect wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean or lubricate vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Hold or supply tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Transfer tools, parts, equipment, and supplies to and from work stations and other areas. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply protective materials to equipment, components, and parts to prevent defects and corrosion. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Diagnose electrical problems and install and rewire electrical components. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 16. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 55% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 55% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 45% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 95,580
- Median annual wage
- $39,630
- Middle half of earners
- $34,910 to $46,890
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Helpers--Electricians 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure16
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure16
- Helpers--Production Workers 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure18
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure27
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure21
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers and AI
Will AI replace Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?
AI already handles 1 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 23 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +2.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?
23 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 55% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 45% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, and what do they earn?
95,580 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $39,630 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/helpers-installation-maintenance-and-repair-workers
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