← All 785 jobsFile 49-9021
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Also filed here: Ac technician, Hvac, Ac mechanic
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 10.9% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- Joint #584 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +10.9% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $61,010 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 440,900 in the US, with about 40,600 openings a year
The work, 25 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Install energy or heating equipment18%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Maintain facilities or equipment7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,312 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 502 conversations, and it got them there 54% of the time.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Advise others on business or operational matters3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 936 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,570 conversations, and it got them there 96% of the time.
Still yours: Install commercial or production equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Drill holes in earth or materials3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Cut materials2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Schedule operational activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate lifting or moving equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position materials or components for assembly2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 111 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 40,600 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 40% of the workInstallation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers0% AI does, against 6% here+2.6% by 2035 · $49,230 · High school diploma
- Shares 36% of the workElectric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers0% AI does, against 6% here+4.4% by 2035 · $56,210 · High school diploma
- Shares 30% of the workRail Car Repairers0% AI does, against 6% here+2.6% by 2035 · $67,530 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.12, higher than 40% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 49-9021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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