SOC 49-9043

Maintenance Workers, Machinery AI displacement risk

Machinery maintenance workers lubricate, dismantle, and reassemble production machines on schedule. Vibration sensors and predictive platforms now flag failing bearings before they fail, targeting the work — but the teardown, part replacement, and reassembly still happen with wrenches.

Exposure30

Share and intensity of work current AI systems can materially affect.

Automation13%

Likely potential for exposed tasks to move to software after workflow integration.

Risk bandLow

Predictive maintenance changed what gets worked on, not who works on it: sensors generate the work orders. Plants running more automation need more machinery maintenance, not less.

Distribution

Where Maintenance Workers, Machinery sits across 620 tracked roles

Maintenance Workers, Machinery · 22050100

Displacement pressure 22 — higher than 29% of the 620 occupations tracked on displacement.ai.

Score version

This page uses Seed model v0.4 (seed-v0.4-2026-05), last reviewed 2026-08-15. Directional occupation-level planning model using hand-reviewed public research, task exposure estimates, wage context, and transition-pathway assumptions.

18 O*NET task statements matched to SOC 49-9043. The displayed task profile combines these official task statements with the current public score model.

Median wage context: $60,850 (May 2025, US national). The latest BLS row matched SOC 49-9043.

Scores are planning signals, not forecasts. Local hiring demand, employer-specific workflows, licensing, and credentials must be validated before making career decisions.

2030 economic stress test

How Anthropic's scenarios classify Maintenance Workers, Machinery

SOC 49-9043 places this role in the paper's all-other occupation group. These group-level outcomes do not change the 22/100 role score and are not an occupation forecast.

Modest change

+1.1% group wage

Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.

Economy-wide: +1.6% GDP and 3.9% unemployment.

Substantial change

+5.9% group wage

Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.

Economy-wide: +8.3% GDP and 4.6% unemployment.

Extreme change

+33.6% group wage

Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.

Economy-wide: +32.4% GDP and 11.9% unemployment.

Compare the assumptions and limitations across all three scenarios. Source: The Anthropic Institute Working Paper No. 2026-02.

Official task evidence

O*NET task matches for Maintenance Workers, Machinery

The current evidence import matched 18 task statements from Task Statements 31.0 (August 2026). These rows are used as a grounding layer for judging which parts of the occupation are repeatable, language-heavy, analytical, social, physical, or compliance-sensitive.

Dataset31.0 (August 2026)
Matched tasks18
SOC49-9043
  • Core task / ID 11833

    Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.

  • Core task / ID 11828

    Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work.

  • Core task / ID 11834

    Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information.

  • Core task / ID 11831

    Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures.

  • Core task / ID 11832

    Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications.

  • Core task / ID 11836

    Set up and operate machines, and adjust controls to regulate operations.

Source: O*NET Resource Center, Task Statements. Raw import target: data/raw/onet/task-statements-31-0.txt.

Task profile

Where AI changes the work

physical

Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair

Exposure 22, automation 9%, augmentation 40%.

O*NET evidence: Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, c... (ID 11833)

physical

Reassemble machines after repair or maintenance

Exposure 22, automation 9%, augmentation 40%.

O*NET evidence: Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work. (ID 11828)

physical

Lubricate machines according to specified procedures

Exposure 24, automation 11%, augmentation 36%.

O*NET evidence: Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other eq... (ID 11831)

information

Record production, repair, and maintenance information

Exposure 52, automation 28%, augmentation 56%.

O*NET evidence: Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information. (ID 11834)

TaskExposureAutomationAugmentation
Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair229%40%
Reassemble machines after repair or maintenance229%40%
Lubricate machines according to specified procedures2411%36%
Record production, repair, and maintenance information5228%56%

Transition pathways

Adjacent moves that preserve existing skills

role redesign

Maintenance Planner

Training horizon: 3-6 months. Skill overlap 64. Wage preservation signal 116.

  • Own the CMMS
  • Schedule preventive programs
  • Kit parts for jobs
Low
role redesign

Maintenance Supervisor

Training horizon: 6-12 months. Skill overlap 68. Wage preservation signal 120.

  • Lead maintenance crews
  • Manage downtime metrics
  • Own parts budgets
Low

Comparison guides

Compare the next move before you commit

What the AI risk score means for Maintenance Workers, Machinery

The displacement pressure score for Maintenance Workers, Machinery is 22. That score blends task exposure, automation pressure, augmentation potential, wage vulnerability, transition feasibility, and source confidence. It is designed to help workers and workforce teams decide where to act first, not to claim a specific date when a job will disappear.

For this role, the clearest risk pattern is visible at the task level. Record production, repair, and maintenance information carries 28% automation pressure, while Record production, repair, and maintenance information carries 56% augmentation potential. That means the best response is usually a targeted redesign of work: move away from repeatable production tasks and toward judgment, exception handling, coordination, stakeholder context, and accountable use of AI tools.

Labor-market context and wage risk

Median wage: $60,850 (May 2025, US national). Employment context: Factory machinery upkeep in the predictive-maintenance era. Typical education: High school plus industrial maintenance training.

Wage vulnerability is 36, while transition feasibility is 62. A high wage-vulnerability score means workers should pay close attention to salary preservation before making a move. A high transition-feasibility score means there are adjacent paths that can reuse existing skills without requiring a complete career reset.

  • Low displacement pressure
  • Sensors generate the work orders
  • Automation raises machinery counts

Upskilling priorities

Skills that make this role more resilient

The safest upskilling plan starts with skills already close to the work. For Maintenance Workers, Machinery, the strongest near-term skill priorities are listed below. These are useful whether the goal is to stay in the role, move to a redesigned version of the role, or transition into an adjacent occupation.

Priority 1

Machine teardown

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 2

Preventive maintenance

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 3

Preventive maintenance

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 4

Maintenance documentation

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

90-day transition plan

The most practical next step is not to wait for a layoff or a full role redesign. Use the next 90 days to create evidence that you can operate in a safer, more AI-augmented version of the work.

  1. In the first 30 days, document the repetitive tasks in your current work and identify where AI can reduce drafting, lookup, classification, or reporting time.
  2. By 60 days, complete one small project connected to Maintenance Planner, such as own the cmms.
  3. By 90 days, compare internal openings and external postings for Maintenance Planner or Maintenance Supervisor and update your resume around measurable workflow outcomes.

FAQ

Questions about AI and Maintenance Workers, Machinery

Will AI replace Maintenance Workers, Machinery?

Machinery maintenance workers lubricate, dismantle, and reassemble production machines on schedule. Vibration sensors and predictive platforms now flag failing bearings before they fail, targeting the work — but the teardown, part replacement, and reassembly still happen with wrenches. The better planning signal is not full replacement, but which tasks become automated, which tasks become AI-assisted, and which responsibilities still need human judgment.

Which parts of Maintenance Workers, Machinery work are most exposed to AI?

Record production, repair, and maintenance information and Lubricate machines according to specified procedures show the strongest automation pressure in this model. Record production, repair, and maintenance information and Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair are better treated as AI-augmented work.

What should Maintenance Workers, Machinery learn next?

Start with Machine teardown, Preventive maintenance, Preventive maintenance. The most practical adjacent paths in this model are Maintenance Planner and Maintenance Supervisor.

How should this score be used?

Use it as a planning signal, not a prediction. Confirm local hiring demand, wages, licensing, credentials, and employer adoption before making a career move.

Sources

Evidence trail