Will AI replace electricians?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 9.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 9 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. The biggest:

• Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. (1h 16m a shift)
• Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes. (57m a shift)
• Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components. (38m a shift)
• Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, or components, using test equipment and hand tools to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem. (38m a shift)
• Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. (38m a shift)

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Aug 28, 2024: Danish study finds 13 electrician tasks suited to robots (Forecast)

The median pay is about $63,190 a year ($30.38 an hour), 24% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Source: BLS, May 2025.

BLS projects growth of 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 897,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 73,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 757,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.49% of all workers (BLS, May 2025).

Vocational school or associate's degree. O*NET rates this job at level 3 of 5 for preparation.

Based on official skill ratings and the tasks that stay with people:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Installation, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Equipment Selection
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Adobe Acrobat, Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

These use similar skills:

• Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (0m touched, $56k median pay)
• Helpers--Electricians (23m touched, $43k median pay)
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47m touched, $64k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 21 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.