Locksmiths and Safe Repairers
Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes.
15,040 people do this job in the US. $51,320 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 20%
- 0%
- 80%
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, 6%. Today's estimate: 9%.
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 . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up and maintain master key systems.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 16% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 14% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Install door hardware, such as locks and closers.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 21 min13 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Open safe locks by drilling.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min7 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Install alarm and electronic access systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Keep records of company locks and keys.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | 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.
- Mechanical Door Repairers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers4% now, 5% by 2028
- Helpers--Electricians1% now, 1% by 2028
- Millwrights0% now, 0% by 2028
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers3% now, 3% 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).