Helpers--Electricians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 1% 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 99% of the time, stays with people.
Help electricians by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
63,630 people do this job in the US. $42,670 a year.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people40 h
Helpers--Electricians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 40 hours stay with people.
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.
- 0%
- 1%
- 0%
- 0%
- 99%
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 1% 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, 1%. Today's estimate: 1%.
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
None of this job's 25 tasks showed up in the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled in any of its 7 releases, from February 2025 to May 2026.
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 99% of this job's working time as physical work. For 80% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 76% in a purpose-built cell, 5% in a structured facility. 0.85 of 3, the 201st highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 1%
- No robot shown 18%
- In a purpose-built cell 76%
- In a structured facility 5%
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
99% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Do electrical laboring work, the hands-on work, 19%
- Build controllers and panels, the hands-on work, 14%
- Drill and pull wiring, the hands-on work, 6%
- Transport tools and materials, the hands-on work, 6%
- Bolt tower assemblies, the hands-on work, 6%
- Dig trenches, the hands-on work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
No desk work within reach by then in tasks where a mistake costs something.
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 99% 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.
- 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.
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 . 25 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform semi-skilled and unskilled laboring duties related to the installation, maintenance and repair of a wide variety of electrical systems and equipment.Fetching, holding, lifting and cleaning around the installation and repair of electrical systems.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Robo-Carrier (Shimz Smart Site) (Shimizu Corporation) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 19% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Construct controllers and panels, using power drills, drill presses, taps, saws, and punches.Panels and controllers built with drills, presses, taps, saws and punches.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, nVent HOFFMAN (Steinhauer) ModCenter 293 (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 14% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Drill holes and pull or push wiring through openings, using hand and power tools.Holes drilled and wiring pulled or pushed through with hand and power tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Transport tools, materials, equipment, and supplies to work site by hand, handtruck, or heavy, motorized truck.Carrying by hand or handtruck and driving the truck to the site.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Seegrid Palion autonomous lift trucks / tow tractors (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Bolt component parts together to form tower assemblies, using hand tools.Tower sections bolted together with hand tools.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, MIRAI AI-vision software on Universal Robots cobots with automatic torque wrench (Micropsi Industries / Universal Robots) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Dig trenches or holes for installation of conduit or supports.Trenches and holes dug for conduit and supports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Built Robotics Exosystem (autonomous excavator retrofit) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Disassemble defective electrical equipment, replace defective or worn parts, and reassemble equipment, using hand tools.Taking defective equipment apart, fitting new parts and reassembling it with hand tools.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Molg robotic microfactory (with ABB robots) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Examine electrical units for loose connections and broken insulation and tighten connections, using hand tools.Looking over units for loose connections and broken insulation, tightening with hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Averex robotic wiring centre (Kiesling Maschinentechnik) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean work area and wash parts.Sweeping up and washing parts.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, AI-Benkei / AI-Musashi C&D debris sorting robots (AMP Robotics and Ryoshin) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| String transmission lines or cables through ducts or conduits, under the ground, through equipment, or to towers.Pulling lines and cables through ducts, underground runs and equipment or up to towers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Maintain tools, vehicles, and equipment and keep parts and supplies in order.Keeping the tools, trucks and stock of parts in order.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Sparrow (Amazon Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Measure, cut, and bend wire and conduit, using measuring instruments and hand tools.Wire and conduit measured, cut and bent with hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, AMOB eMOB 150 automated production cell (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 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.
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters0% now, 0% by 2028
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Electricians12% now, 12% by 2028
- Helpers--Carpenters0% now, 0% by 2028
- Millwrights0% now, 0% by 2028
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons0% now, 0% 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 Helpers--Electricians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 1% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 1% 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 Helpers--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: Requisition materials (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Helpers--Electricians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Do electrical laboring work; Build controllers and panels; and Drill and pull wiring. Together such tasks are about 99% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Helpers--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 the hands-on craft; judgment where errors are severe; and signing off under your license. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 99% of the working time stays with people, 0% becomes checking a model's work and 1% 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 Helpers--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 Helpers--Electricians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 99% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 80% of the working time, 5% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.85 of 3. One example: Built Robotics Exosystem (autonomous excavator retrofit) for "dig trenches". 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 25 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 October 3, 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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