NueCareer

AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Electricians? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places electricians in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +9.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 72,700 openings a year.

Short answer

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.

BLS AI exposure
ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
72/100Higher than 99% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+9.2%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
72,700BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed electricians are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Electricians land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Performing general physical activities4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Handling and moving objects4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Repetitive motions4.3/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Getting information4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Processing information3.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for electricians

  • Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
  • Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
  • Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
  • Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
  • Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
  • Test electrical systems or continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using testing devices, such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +9.2% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 72,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 757,220 people work in the job today, at a median of $63,190 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full electrician profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than electricians

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.

  1. Derrick Operator, Oil and Gas

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $58,620median a year
    Growth
    +1.6%
    Openings / yr
    900
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    78/100
    resilience

    Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud or fluid through drill hole.

  2. Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $95,320median a year
    Growth
    +10.3%
    Openings / yr
    10,900
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    76/100
    resilience

    Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems.

  3. Helpers--Electrician

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $42,670median a year
    Growth
    +0.6%
    Openings / yr
    6,100
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    74/100
    resilience

    Help electricians by performing duties requiring less skill.

  4. Earth Driller, Except Oil and Gas

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $60,190median a year
    Growth
    +3.6%
    Openings / yr
    1,400
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    73/100
    resilience

    Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in…

Will AI replace linemen?

Questions

Will AI Replace Electricians? FAQ

Will AI replace electricians?

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +9.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 72,700 openings a year.

How exposed are electricians to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Electricians are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of an electrician's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, getting information and processing information. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, face-to-face discussions and hands-on work with tools and objects. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being an electrician a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, electricians score 72 out of 100, higher than 99% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $63,190 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to electricians are less exposed to AI?

Derrick Operator, Oil and Gas (low exposure, $58,620 median), Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (low exposure, $95,320 median), Helpers--Electrician (low exposure, $42,670 median), Earth Driller, Except Oil and Gas (low exposure, $60,190 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than electricians, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.