First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
Machines can already do 29% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 56%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 29% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 10% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 56% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 617,500 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $79,860 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 76% for contact with people.
- Also called: Electrical and Instrumentation Supervisor (E and I Supervisor), Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Facility Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Coordinator.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance | 12% | 10% to 27% | |
| Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment | 11% | 3% to 30% | |
| Determine schedules, sequences, and assignments for work activities, based on work priority, quantity of equipment, and skill of personnel | 9% | 60% to 90% | |
| Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements | 8% | 20% to 60% | |
| Confer with personnel, such as management, engineering, quality control, customer, or union workers' representatives, to coordinate work activities, resolve employee grievances, or identify and review resource needs | 8% | 30% to 54% | |
| Examine objects, systems, or facilities and analyze information to determine needed installations, services, or repairs | 8% | 3% to 30% | |
| Compile operational or personnel records, such as time and production records, inventory data, repair or maintenance statistics, or test results | 6% | 70% to 95% | |
| Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules | 5% | 3% to 30% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Industrial Production Managers55% of tasks by 2035 · US median $126,060
- Chefs and Head Cooks43% of tasks by 2035 · US median $62,470
- Mechanical Door Repairers52% of tasks by 2035 · US median $55,720
- Foresters54% of tasks by 2035 · US median $76,400
What should you do about it?
Open this job in the Workforce Starburst to see it for your country, then use these to act on it.
Watch This Job
Get told when the outlook for this job changes.
Free planSkills to learn next
The skills that make this job, or the next one, last longer.
In the StarburstCheck your readiness
Ten quick questions on how ready you are.
FreeAsk Vantage
Ask what this job means for you and get a sourced answer.
Free to askFutures Academy courses
Courses matched to your gaps.
Coming soonPay trend
Where pay for this job is heading.
Coming soonTeam plan
Every role in your team, side by side, with a plan for each.
Pro and CorporateShared workspace
Work through it with your team, with notes and decisions kept.
Pro and Corporate
Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers?
Machines can do 29% of the tasks of first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers today and 56% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 49-1011.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/first-line-supervisors-of-mechanics-installers-and-repairers/