Home Appliance Repairers
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
32,150 people do this job in the US. $50,990 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 16%
- 2%
- 83%
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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 16%.
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 . 29 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Reassemble units after repairs are made, making adjustments and cleaning and lubricating parts as needed.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min17 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 33 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Observe and test operation of appliances following installation, and make any initial installation adjustments that are necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now |
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.
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics15% now, 17% by 2028
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment3% now, 3% by 2028
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door1% now, 1% by 2028
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics8% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance12,630 people
- Electronics and Appliance Retailers7,820 people
- Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)1,720 people
- Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers960 people
- Drycleaning and Laundry Services720 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).