---
title: "Will AI Replace Maintenance and Repair Workers?"
description: "BLS rates maintenance and repair workers' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+4.2%…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-maintenance-and-repair-workers"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Maintenance and Repair Workers? (2026)

**Short answer:** Very unlikely. BLS rates maintenance and repair workers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places maintenance and repair workers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +4.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 148,700 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 64/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +4.2% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 148,700 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $49,590 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Handling and moving objects: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Processing information: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Documenting/recording information: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Getting information: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.
- Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
- Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
- Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools.
- Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams.
- Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-power-line-installer-and-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $95,320; [Will AI replace linemen?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-linemen)
- [Mechanical Door Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mechanical-door-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $55,720
- [Millwright](https://nuecareer.com/careers/millwright): BLS exposure Low, median $65,700
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanic): BLS exposure Low, median $65,510; [Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics)
- [Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/helpers-installation-maintenance-and-repair-worker): BLS exposure Low, median $39,630
- [Motorboat Mechanic and Service Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/motorboat-mechanic-and-service-technician): BLS exposure Low, median $57,550

## FAQ

**Will AI replace maintenance and repair workers?**

Very unlikely. BLS rates maintenance and repair workers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. 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 +4.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 148,700 openings a year.

**How exposed are maintenance and repair workers to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Maintenance and Repair Workers are in the low category, alongside 202 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 a maintenance and repair worker, general's job can AI do?**

In O\*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, documenting/recording information and getting information. The parts that hold up best are repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment, face-to-face discussions and handling and moving 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 a maintenance and repair worker, general a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, maintenance and repair workers score 64 out of 100, higher than 92% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $49,590 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 maintenance and repair workers are less exposed to AI?**

Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (low exposure, $95,320 median), Mechanical Door Repairer (low exposure, $55,720 median), Millwright (low exposure, $65,700 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-worker-general.

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This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology