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Will AI replace 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. The percentage shown is a task-exposure model, not a prediction of certain job loss.

O*NET 30.3 · 49-9071.00 · modeled exposure, not guaranteed job loss
LOW TASK EXPOSURE
22%
Estimated share of representative tasks exposed to current AI capabilities.
Task automation shareⓘ
22%Automatable
Automatable22%
Augmentable43%
Hard to automate35%
Based on analysis of representative responsibilities and current AI capability maturity.
Category#
Trades & Physical
Field & Physical
Modeled pay midpoint$
$94,100/yr
Directional estimate — verify locally
Time until impact⌁
6–10+ years
Earliest 2032 · widespread 2036+
Task-level replaceability ⓘ
Representative tasks ranked from highest to lowest AI exposure.
◇Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.32%
✦Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings27%
✦Safety responsibility and on-site judgment23%
⚙Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.20%
▥Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.12%
Impact timeline ⓘ
How AI assistance may move from early support to wider adoption.
2032Next2036+
Light supportAI provides limited help with perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions..
AugmentationTools improve productivity without owning outcomes.
Human-ledCore work stays anchored in physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
6–10+ yearsdirectional confidence window
HOW AI CHANGES THIS JOBtyping the logic in plain English
01>Start with the real work done by Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.
02>AI can help with: Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
03>If a task is repetitive and easy to check, AI pressure goes up.
04>But a person is still needed for: Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
05>Likely result: AI mostly acts as a helper while the core job stays human-led.
06>Important: 22% is estimated task exposure—not a 22% chance of losing the job.
What AI can do
Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.LOW MATCH
Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.LOW MATCH
Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.LOW MATCH
How estimates work →
Your human moat
◆

Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings

HIGH MOAT

Combined with safety responsibility and on-site judgment, this keeps a human in the loop.

Strength9.0
Similar-role comparison
RoleRisk
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General22%
Pile Driver Operators22%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals22%
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers23%
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Why this score?

✓The model evaluates 3 representative core tasks.
✓The core work depends on presence, dexterity, or accountability.
✓Occupation and task language comes from O*NET 30.3.
✓The strongest human advantage is physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
Research basis

O*NET 30.3 occupation tasks plus the ILO 2025 exposure framework. Scores are directional estimates.

Read ILO research →
Data: O*NET 30.3 · Model framework: ILO 2025About O*NETShare report
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Pile Driver Operators · 22% exposureFarmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals · 22% exposureFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers · 23% exposure