Plumbers vs Maintenance and Repair Workers, General AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Plumbers

62 shared · 17 different

core competencies

low risk

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Side-by-Side Comparison

Plumbers leads 5–0

Metric	Plumbers	Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Risk Score	18.7%	23.9%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	5th	16th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	2 / 15	4 / 15
Median Salary	$62,970	$48,620
Employment	456K	1.5M

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Design

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Building and Construction

Equipment MaintenanceAI-Resistant

Scheduling Work and Activities

Education and Training

Mechanical

MathematicsAI-Vulnerable

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization

Repairing

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Plumbers

29%

total discount

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

26%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Plumbers

2 of 15 at risk

87%Keep records of work assignments.

54%Estimate time, material, or labor costs for use in project plans.

48%Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.

45%Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring.

38%Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

4 of 15 at risk

86%Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.

58%Test and treat water supply.

55%Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.

53%Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams.

41%Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.

Wage Comparison

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General earns -$14,350(-23%) vs Plumbers

PlumbersMaintenance and Repair Workers, General

10th

$40,670$33,860

25th

$48,860$39,050

Median

$62,970$48,620

75th

$81,900$61,710

90th

$105,150$76,110

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Plumbers2028–2035

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Plumbers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Plumbers

$51,195

from $62,970

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

$36,985

from $48,620

After adjusting for AI risk, Plumbers offers $14,209 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Plumbers

Unique to Maintenance

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity

Decision Complexity

Regulatory Barriers

Social Intelligence

PlumbersMaintenance and Repair Workers, General

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