Verdict
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General and Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines are effectively tied on AI exposure (9 vs 10). Choose on pay, interest and entry cost — not on automation risk.
Installation & Repair
9 /100
General maintenance workers handle a wide variety of hands-on building and equipment repair that resists any single point of automation.
Full risk profile →Installation & Repair
10 /100
Cranes, bulldozers, and hydraulic excavators demand physical expertise and safety accountability that AI cannot replicate.
Full risk profile →| Metric | Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines |
|---|---|---|
| AI Fear Score | 9/100 | 10/100 |
| Risk band | Resilient | Resilient |
| Automation probability | 9% | 10% |
| LLM task exposure | 9% | 10% |
| Median pay (BLS) | $48,620 | $63,980 |
| US workers | 1,531,700 | 180,270 |
| Timeline | The breadth of this role — spanning structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing — makes it highly resilient; AI may assist scheduling but cannot replace the hands-on versatility through 2040. | The physical complexity and safety stakes of heavy mobile equipment make full-scale AI encroachment unlikely before 2040; telematics will aid diagnosis but not replace the hands. |
For long-tail occupations the two research anchors share a single AI-reviewed exposure estimate — see the methodology.
The usual pivots that reuse your experience while cutting exposure: Heavy equipment fleet supervisor, OEM technical service representative, Construction equipment instructor. See the full plan →
They're effectively tied: Maintenance and Repair Workers, General scores 9/100 and Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines scores 10/100 on our AI exposure scale.
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines pays more at the median: $63,980 vs $48,620 (BLS May 2024).
Scores are estimates, not predictions — two research anchors applied to task mixes, with BLS May-2024 wages and employment. Not career advice.