Locksmiths and Safe Repairers

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Tasks

All 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines. Core · importance 4.8
• Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations. Core · importance 4.6
• Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys. Core · importance 4.6
• Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines. Core · importance 4.5
• Open safe locks by drilling. Core · importance 4.4
• Set up and maintain master key systems. Core · importance 4.3
• Install door hardware, such as locks and closers. Core · importance 4.3
• Keep records of company locks and keys. Core · importance 4.2
• Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.1
• Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus. Core · importance 4.0
• Install alarm and electronic access systems. Supplemental · importance 3.9
• Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies. Core · importance 3.6
• Unlock cars and other vehicles. Supplemental · importance 3.3
• Remove interior and exterior finishes on safes and vaults, and spray on new finishes. Supplemental · importance 1.8

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

• Read blueprints and project specification manuals to recommend appropriate hardware and electronic locking devices.

Work activities

• Fabricate parts or components.
• Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.
• Install hardware or other interior fixtures.
• Assemble electrical components, subsystems, or systems.
• Disable door locks.
• Cut materials according to specifications or needs.
• Document operational activities.
• Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
• Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
• Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
• Repair structural components.
• Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
• Refinish wood or metal surfaces.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Mapping Software Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill
• Accounting Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Construction career cluster.

• Mechanical Door Repairers · 49-9011.00 Compare →
• Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers · 49-9098.00 Compare →
• Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers · 47-4021.00 Compare →
• Helpers--Electricians · 47-3013.00 Compare →
• Millwrights · 49-9044.00 Compare →
• Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers · 49-2092.00 Compare →
• Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers · 49-2098.00 Compare →
• Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · 47-3015.00 Compare →
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · 49-9071.00 Compare →
• Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles · 49-2096.00 Compare →
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · 51-2011.00 Compare →
• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door · 49-9012.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Locksmiths and Safe Repairers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
• AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
• ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
• IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
• Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
• Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic

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

@misc{singulariki-role-49-9094-00,
  title  = {Locksmiths and Safe Repairers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; 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/roles/role-49-9094-00}
}