Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 3% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The people and hands-on work, about 97% of the time, stays with people.
Repair, maintain, or install electric motors, wiring, or switches.
14,450 people do this job in the US. $56,210 a year.
A typical 40-hour week
Not yet reviewed task by task- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people39 h
Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 39 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Record repairs required, parts used, and labor time (under an hour); Read service guides to find information needed to perform repairs (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 3%
- 0%
- 97%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 31 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.044% to 0.012% (released February and March 2025); 0.021% to 0.0097% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.044% | 294 of 708 | 4 of 31 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.012% | 489 of 703 | 2 of 31 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.021% | 357 of 655 | 1 of 31 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.009% | 494 of 672 | 2 of 31 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.0097% | 500 of 677 | 2 of 31 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 31 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 31 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 91% of this job's working time as physical work. For 72% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 72% in a purpose-built cell. 0.72 of 3, the 252nd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 9%
- No robot shown 20%
- In a purpose-built cell 72%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
The tasks
Sorted by . 31 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repair and rebuild defective mechanical parts in electric motors, generators, and related equipment, using hand tools and power tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 16% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Reassemble repaired electric motors to specified requirements and ratings, using hand tools and electrical meters.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, ATS Industrial Automation eMotor assembly and testing line (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 13% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble defective equipment so that repairs can be made, using hand tools.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Assemble electrical parts such as alternators, generators, starting devices, and switches, following schematic drawings and using hand, machine, and power tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RiMei automotive motor assembly lines (alternator assembly line, starter assembly line) (Wenling Assembling Equipment Set Co., Ltd.) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect and test equipment to locate damage or worn parts and diagnose malfunctions, or read work orders or schematic drawings to determine required repairs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Baker WinAST / Baker HV WinAST automated stator testing system (Megger) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Rewire electrical systems, and repair or replace electrical accessories.Done more than yearly by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Rewind coils on cores in slots, or make replacement coils, using coil-winding machines.Done yearly or less by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Odawara ZET / SCW insertion winding machines (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Scrape and clean units or parts, using cleaning solvents and equipment such as buffing wheels.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Cohesive Robotics Smart Finishing Robotic Workcell (Argus OS) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Cut and form insulation, and insert insulation into armature, rotor, or stator slots.Done more than weekly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, ELMOTEC STATOMAT slot insulation machines (Schaeffler Sondermaschinenbau) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Adjust working parts, such as fan belts, contacts, and springs, using hand tools and gauges.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, SEETECH DRAGON X15 Robotic headlamp aiming machine (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Maintain stocks of parts.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Amazon Vulcan (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect electrical connections, wiring, relays, charging resistance boxes, and storage batteries, following wiring diagrams.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Marposs AMT320/W automatic testing system for motors, generators and alternators (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers9% now, 9% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers8% now, 8% by 2028
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics13% now, 13% by 2028
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door1% now, 1% by 2028
- Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery4% now, 4% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)2,910 people
- Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance2,610 people
- Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers1,170 people
- Electrical Equipment Manufacturing1,100 people
- Building Equipment Contractors550 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 3% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 3% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Record repairs required, parts used, and labor time (100% of the task's time now); and Read service guides to find information needed to perform repairs (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Repair and rebuild defective mechanical parts in electric motors, generators, and related equipment, using hand tools and power tools; Reassemble repaired electric motors to specified requirements and ratings, using hand tools and electrical meters; and Disassemble defective equipment so that repairs can be made, using hand tools. Together such tasks are about 97% of the working time.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 91% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 72% of the working time. Its index is 0.72 of 3. One example: ATS Industrial Automation eMotor assembly and testing line for "reassemble repaired electric motors to specified requirements and ratings, using hand tools and electrical meters". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 31 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, each classed as desk, people or body work, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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