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Helpers--Production Workers vs Maintenance Workers, Machinery

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Helpers--Production Workers and Maintenance Workers, Machinery on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Helpers--Production Workers Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$38,220
$60,500
Employment · BLS OEWS
167,490
56,540
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
3rd pct
30th pct

At a glance

Dimension Helpers--Production Workers Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Median pay $38,220 $60,500
Employment 167,490 56,540
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-8.9%) Declining (-2.8%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 23,600 4,800
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 3rd pct Low · 30th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 8th pct · 12% of tasks 24th pct · 17% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index Automation-leaning (64.0%) —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Static Strength, Trunk Strength, Problem Sensitivity, Information Ordering, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Multilimb Coordination, Mechanical, Oral Expression, Perceptual Speed, Extent Flexibility, Active Listening, Deductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Inductive Reasoning, Visualization, Production and Processing, English Language, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis.

Specific to Helpers--Production Workers

  • Oral Comprehension
  • Stamina
  • Monitoring
  • Written Comprehension
  • Category Flexibility
  • Far Vision
  • Depth Perception
  • Speech Recognition

Specific to Maintenance Workers, Machinery

  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Administration and Management
  • Design
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Time Management
  • Flexibility of Closure

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Presentation software , Word processing software , Enterprise resource planning ERP software , Data base user interface and query software .

Specific to Helpers--Production Workers

Specific to Maintenance Workers, Machinery

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Helpers--Production Workers or Maintenance Workers, Machinery — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Helpers--Production Workers vs Maintenance Workers, Machinery." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-production-workers-vs-maintenance-workers-machinery

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Helpers--Production Workers vs Maintenance Workers, Machinery. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-production-workers-vs-maintenance-workers-machinery

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-helpers-production-workers-vs-maintenance-workers-machinery,
  title  = {Helpers--Production Workers vs Maintenance Workers, Machinery},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-production-workers-vs-maintenance-workers-machinery}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.