Short answer
The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Telecom Technicians? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places telecom technicians in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to fall by 3.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 11,300 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 59/100Higher than 83% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- -3.3%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 11,300BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed telecom technicians 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. Telecom Technicians land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High · this job190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- 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.
- 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
- Face-to-face discussions4.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing general physical activities3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Dealing with the public4.5/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks3.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Email4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Documenting/recording information3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for telecom technicians
- Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Remove loose wires and other debris after work is completed.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Request support from technical service centers when on-site procedures fail to solve installation or maintenance problems.
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 -3.3% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 11,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 140,920 people work in the job today, at a median of $63,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than telecom technicians
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.
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.
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $65,510median a year
- Growth
- +6.7%
- Openings / yr
- 15,000
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 66/100
- resilience
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.
Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $61,770median a year
- Growth
- +3.6%
- Openings / yr
- 24,400
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines.
Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $74,330median a year
- Growth
- −3.4%
- Openings / yr
- 8,000
- Education
- High school
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 62/100
- resilience
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installer and Repairer
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $63,520median a year
- Growth
- +1.2%
- Openings / yr
- 1,000
- Education
- Associate's
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 62/100
- resilience
Repair, install, or maintain mobile or stationary radio transmitting, broadcasting, and receiving equipment, and two-way radio communications systems used in cellular telecommunications, mobile broadband, ship-to-shor…
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $61,010median a year
- Growth
- +10.9%
- Openings / yr
- 40,600
- Education
- Certificate
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Questions
Will AI Replace Telecom Technicians? FAQ
Will AI replace telecom technicians?
The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain. 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 fall by 3.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 11,300 openings a year.
How exposed are telecom technicians to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Telecom Technicians are in the high category, alongside 189 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 telecommunications equipment installer and repairer, except line installers'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, repeating the same tasks and email. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment and performing general physical activities. 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 telecommunications equipment installer and repairer, except line installers a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, telecom technicians score 59 out of 100, higher than 83% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $63,890 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 telecom technicians are less exposed to AI?
Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (low exposure, $95,320 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median), Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist (low exposure, $61,770 median), Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer (moderate exposure, $74,330 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than telecom technicians, 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.