AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 49-9071.00

Will AI replace Maintenance and Repair Workers, General?

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 27 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 27 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams. 50 Estimated Standard 3.6
Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary. 40 Observed Efficient 3.8
Train or manage maintenance personnel or subcontractors. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.3
Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
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. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Record type and cost of maintenance or repair work. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Align and balance new equipment after installation. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Install equipment to improve the energy or operational efficiency of residential or commercial buildings. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Set up and operate machine tools to repair or fabricate machine parts, jigs, fixtures, or tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Fabricate or repair counters, benches, partitions, or other wooden structures, such as sheds or outbuildings. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.2
Paint or repair roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, plaster, drywall, or other parts of building structures. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.1
Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Perform general cleaning of buildings or properties. 15 Estimated No tier 3.4
Position, attach, or blow insulating materials to prevent energy losses from buildings, pipes, or other structures or objects. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency. 12 Estimated No tier 3.8
Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools. 12 Estimated No tier 3.5
Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions. 10 Estimated No tier 4.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 27 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 26 of 27. 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

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 52% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 59% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 41% 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
1,529,700
Median annual wage
$49,590
Middle half of earners
$40,840 to $62,620
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+3.8%

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Maintenance and Repair Workers, General and AI

Will AI replace Maintenance and Repair Workers, General?

Not on current evidence. None of the 27 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 21 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.

What is the AI exposure of Maintenance and Repair Workers, General?

21 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. 1 of the 27 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 26 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Maintenance and Repair Workers, General tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures, at 50 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 52% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 41% 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 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, and what do they earn?

1,529,700 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $49,590 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.8% 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: Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. 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/maintenance-and-repair-workers-general

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