Electricians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 12% 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 conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 88% of the time, stays with people.
Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.
757,220 people do this job in the US. $63,190 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work4 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people35 h
Electricians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 4 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 35 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Plan wiring layout and installation (about 1 h, a person checks); Prepare sketches and follow blueprints (about 1 h, a person checks); Keep the electrician's license current (under an hour, a person checks).
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.
- 11%
- 1%
- 0%
- 9%
- 79%
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.
What handing it over would take, now
The 12% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
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, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 7%. Today's estimate: 12%.
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 21 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.013% to 0.0069% (released February and March 2025); 0.0078% to 0.023% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.013% | 497 of 708 | 4 of 21 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0069% | 545 of 703 | 2 of 21 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0078% | 483 of 655 | 2 of 21 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.015% | 429 of 672 | 2 of 21 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.023% | 382 of 677 | 5 of 21 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 21 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 21 |
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 75% of this job's working time as physical work. For 33% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 33% in a purpose-built cell. 0.33 of 3, the 374th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 25%
- No robot shown 42%
- In a purpose-built cell 33%
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.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
87% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Run conduit and pull wire, the hands-on work, 16%
- Work from ladders, scaffolds and roofs, the hands-on work, 14%
- Install and maintain electrical equipment, the hands-on work, 11%
- Dig trenches and move heavy objects, the hands-on work, 10%
- Direct and train other workers, the in-person work, 6%
- Use tools and testing equipment, the hands-on work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
9% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 2% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Plan wiring layout and installation, a licensed person signs, 4%
- Prepare sketches and follow blueprints, a licensed person signs, 3%
- Keep the electrician's license current, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- Signing off under your license. Some tasks need a licensed, certified or sworn person to do or sign them. The license, and the judgment it stands for, stays with the person.
- The hands-on craft. About 79% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 11% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Hands-on trade work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 16% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.Hands-on trade work at height.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 14% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.Hands-on trade work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Perform physically demanding tasks, such as digging trenches to lay conduit or moving or lifting heavy objects.Physical labor.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, FANUC M-2000iA/2300 heavy payload robot (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 2.5 h25 min to 6.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Direct or train workers to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.Leading and teaching a crew on site.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.Sketching the layout, and working from the drawings on site.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 3.3 h | Documents 60%, hands-on 40% | 59%Desk part half by now |
| 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.Hands-on trade work.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, WEINMANN WALLTEQ M-300/M-340/M-380 multifunction bridge (HOMAG / WEINMANN) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Maintain current electrician's license or identification card to meet governmental regulations.Coursework and renewal only the electrician can do.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.A layout worked out from the specifications and the code, with a look at the site.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 79%Desk part half by now |
| Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.Hands-on trade work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, WAGO Cabinet Wiring Robot (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Inspect electrical systems, equipment, or components to identify hazards, defects, or the need for adjustment or repair, and to ensure compliance with codes.Inspecting installations in person against the code.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| 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.Testing live systems with meters.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, SPEA 4060 / flying probe testers (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | 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. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% 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.
- Lighting Technicians12% now, 12% by 2028
- Helpers--Electricians1% now, 1% by 2028
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters23% now, 23% by 2028
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers1% now, 1% by 2028
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment8% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
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 Electricians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 12% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 12% 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 Electricians 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: Plan wiring layout and installation (79% of the task's time now); Prepare sketches and follow blueprints (59% of the task's time now); and Keep the electrician's license current (50% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Electricians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Run conduit and pull wire; Work from ladders, scaffolds and roofs; and Install and maintain electrical equipment. Together such tasks are about 82% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Electricians learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are signing off under your license; the hands-on craft; and judgment where errors are severe. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 87% of the working time stays with people, 9% becomes checking a model's work and 2% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Electricians?
- 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 Electricians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 75% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 33% of the working time. Its index is 0.33 of 3. One example: FANUC M-2000iA/2300 heavy payload robot for "dig trenches and move heavy objects". 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 21 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), 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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