Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers
Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment. Perform duties such as furnishing tools, materials, and supplies to other workers; cleaning work area, machines, and tools; and holding materials or tools for other workers.
95,580 people do this job in the US. $39,630 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 2%
- 0%
- 98%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h 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, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 2%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install or replace machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Diagnose electrical problems and install and rewire electrical components.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Adjust, maintain, and repair tools, equipment, and machines, and assist more skilled workers with similar tasks.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Assemble and maintain physical structures, using hand or power tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Position vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Adjust, connect, or disconnect wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassemble equipment when repairs are complete.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine and test machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean or lubricate vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Design, weld, and fabricate parts, using blueprints or other mechanical plans.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Hold or supply tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 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.
- Helpers--Production Workers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters0% now, 0% by 2028
- Helpers--Electricians1% now, 1% by 2028
- Helpers--Extraction Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Helpers--Carpenters0% 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).