Telecommunications line installers and repairers
SOC Code: 49-9052
Telecommunications line installers and repairers carries a 28% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $70,500 and -3.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 99,900 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 28% AI exposure, Telecommunications line installers and repairers sits 9 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 23% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
53/100
Telecommunications line installers and repairers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B- $70,500
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -3.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B+ 28% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Telecommunications line installers and repairers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Telecommunications line installers and repairers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Telecommunications line installers and repairers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Telecommunications line installers and repairers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
28% Among the lowest lower than 77% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Telecommunications line installers and repairers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Telecommunications line installers and repairers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Telecommunications line installers and repairers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 49-9052) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Telecommunications line installers and repairers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Telecommunications line installers and repairers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Registered Apprenticeship Pathway Available
Telecommunications line installers and repairers is a recognized registered apprenticeship occupation under the DOL RAPIDS system. Earn while you train, apprentices typically start at ~$16/hr and reach $28–$46/hr upon completion, depending on the specific trade and region.
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
- 2. Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due.
- 3. Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
- 4. Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
- 5. Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
- 6. Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
- 7. Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
- 8. Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering.
- 9. Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
- 10. String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
Key Skills Required
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Operations Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Operation and Control
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
Knowledge Areas
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Mechanical
- Education and Training
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Engineering and Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Telecommunications line installers and repairers?
Telecommunications line installers and repairers has an AI exposure score of 28%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Telecommunications line installers and repairers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Telecommunications line installers and repairers is projected to decline by 3.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 99,900 workers.
What skills are needed for Telecommunications line installers and repairers?
Key skills for Telecommunications line installers and repairers include Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Telecommunications line installers and repairers earn?
The median annual wage for Telecommunications line installers and repairers is $70,500, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Telecommunications line installers and repairers?
The typical entry-level education for Telecommunications line installers and repairers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Long-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Telecommunications line installers and repairers?
Telecommunications line installers and repairers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Telecommunications line installers and repairers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (28% here).
- Acupuncturists · AI exposure 28%
- Advertising and promotions managers · AI exposure 28%
- Agricultural inspectors · AI exposure 28%
- Carpenters · AI exposure 28%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-3.1% here).
- Forest and conservation technicians · growth -3.2%
- Stonemasons · growth -3.0%
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse · growth -3.3%
- Furniture finishers · growth -3.3%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 35 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Telecommunications line installers and repairers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Telecommunications line installers and repairers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).