# Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

US SOC code 49-9098. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/49-9098

Also called: Maintenance helper, Repair helper, Facilities helper, Installation helper, Maintenance aide.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **95,580** US helpers of installation, maintenance, and repair workers, with median pay of **$39,630** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **159,110**, in May 2006. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1975/compendia/hist_stats_colonial-1970.html) of **85,000** from 1880, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Windows-based and web-based CMMS + mobile work orders, 1990 to 2015.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=49-9098&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1820
- Latest US employment: 95,580 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $39,630 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [11]
- Outlook: +5.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 75119)
  - Employment, 2020: 12,185. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 75119 Other trades helpers and labourers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$48,400. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [14]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 75119 Other trades helpers and labourers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1880 | 85,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau [1] |
| 1920 | 180,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Library of Congress [2] |
| 1925 | n/a | $900 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [9] |
| 1950 | 210,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [3] |
| 1990 | 130,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau / IPUMS [4] |
| 2000 | n/a | $22,500 (estimate) | Est., BLS OEWS [10] |
| 2003 | 148,890 | $21,240 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 157,310 | $21,310 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 158,520 | $21,230 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 159,110 | $22,270 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 153,320 | $22,920 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 149,350 | $23,830 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 135,880 | $24,150 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 123,220 | $24,260 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 122,820 | $24,060 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 124,370 | $24,210 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 127,820 | $24,500 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 126,980 | $25,390 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 124,220 | $26,400 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 118,720 | $27,510 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 112,080 | $28,490 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 105,040 | $29,450 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 99,460 | $30,530 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 91,430 | $31,760 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 88,480 | $33,100 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 93,650 | $35,100 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 101,890 | $36,710 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 97,540 | $38,860 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 95,580 | $39,630 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (88)

### Employment series

1. [US Census Bureau -- Historical Statistics of the United States (HSUS), Series D 127-141, Manufacturing employment and occupational distribution 1880](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1975/compendia/hist_stats_colonial-1970.html), US Census Bureau
2. [Library of Congress -- "Work in the Late 19th Century": industrial workforce growth and occupational hierarchies in American manufacturing](https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/work-in-late-19th-century/), Library of Congress
3. [IPUMS USA -- Alphabetic Index of Occupations and Industries: 1950 (helpers category covering helpers to mechanics and repairmen)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/resources/volii/Occupations1950.pdf), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
4. [US Census Bureau / IPUMS -- 1990 Census Occupation Codes: helpers, mechanics, and repairers (OCC codes 523-525 in the 1990 scheme)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/98occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [University of Missouri Libraries -- Prices and Wages by Decade: 1920-1929 (BLS historical wage surveys, manufacturing helpers)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1920-1929), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
10. [BLS OEWS -- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations major group wage data, circa 2000 (SOC 49-0000)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes490000.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

15. [Library of Congress -- "Work in the Late 19th Century": industrial labor conditions and skill hierarchies in American manufacturing](https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/work-in-late-19th-century/), Library of Congress
16. [Brightly Software -- "A History of Maintenance and How CMMS Has Changed in 200+ Years": Benjamin Franklin's preventive maintenance philosophy and early industrial maintenance practices](https://www.brightlysoftware.com/blog/a-history-of-maintenance-how-cmms-has-changed-in-200-years), Brightly Software
17. [Encyclopedia.com -- "Apprenticeship": evolution of the trades hierarchy and helper roles in American industry, post-1880 industrial era](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/labor/apprenticeship), Encyclopedia.com
18. [National Park Service -- "Hazards on the Home Front: Workplace Accidents and Injuries during World War II": defense plant maintenance practices and the introduction of preventive maintenance protocols](https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/hazards-on-the-home-front-workplace-accidents-and-injuries-during-world-war-ii.htm), US National Park Service
19. [UpKeep Learning -- "How World War II Influenced the Spike in Manufacturing": wartime production and the origins of preventive maintenance in American industry](https://upkeep.com/learning/world-war-ii-manufacturing/), UpKeep
20. [FTMaintenance -- "A Brief History of CMMS Software": punch-card era origins (1960s), minicomputer adoption (1980s), and PC-based CMMS growth](https://ftmaintenance.com/cmms/brief-history-cmms-software/), FTMaintenance
21. [American Machinist -- "The Evolution of Affordability and Accessibility in CMMS Software": Windows-PC era democratization of CMMS and introduction of web-based platforms](https://www.americanmachinist.com/enterprise-data/article/21898450/the-evolution-of-affordability-and-accessibility-in-cmms-software), American Machinist
22. [UpKeep -- "UpKeep Intelligence": Nova AI agent, Smart Scheduler, Voice Fill, and Photo-to-Part capabilities for maintenance teams](https://upkeep.com/upkeep-ai/), UpKeep
23. [Facilities Dive -- "MaintainX touts AI solution for preparing maintenance reports" (March 2026): MaintainX Report Builder AI and VP of Engineering Sami Tas on maintenance time allocation](https://www.facilitiesdive.com/news/maintainx-touts-ai-solution-for-preparing-maintenance-reports/815686/), Facilities Dive
24. [OXMaint -- "AR in Maintenance 2026": PTC benchmark showing 32% task-completion improvement and 40% procedural error reduction with AR overlays](https://oxmaint.com/article/ar-augmented-reality-maintenance), OXMaint

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 49-9098 Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers (2025: 97.1 thousand; 2035: 102.2 thousand; +5.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=49-9098&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 49-9098.00, human-rated β 0)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [Encyclopedia.com -- "Artisans and Craft Workers, and the Workshop": the standardization of industrial fasteners and its impact on the skilled trades](https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/artisans-and-craft-workers-and-workshop), Encyclopedia.com
28. [US Department of Labor -- "Chapter 1: The Emergence of American Labor": wartime industrial mobilization and its effects on factory workforce structure](https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/chapter1), US Department of Labor
29. [HISTORY -- "The Post World War II Boom: How America Got Into Gear": post-war manufacturing expansion and the peak of the industrial maintenance workforce](https://www.history.com/articles/post-world-war-ii-boom-economy), HISTORY
30. [FTMaintenance -- "A Brief History of CMMS Software": punch-card era origins of computerized maintenance management, 1960s](https://ftmaintenance.com/cmms/brief-history-cmms-software/), FTMaintenance
31. [Britannica Money -- "History of the Organization of Work: Organization of work in the industrial age": deindustrialization and structural shifts in the US maintenance workforce](https://www.britannica.com/money/history-of-the-organization-of-work/Organization-of-work-in-the-industrial-age), Britannica
32. [BLS -- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: History (introduction of the 2000 SOC system and its effects on occupational classification)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/oews/history.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
33. [NSFlow -- "Future of Augmented Reality: AR Trends for 2024": XR device shipment growth and industrial AR adoption benchmarks for maintenance applications](https://nsflow.com/blog/the-future-of-augmented-reality-ar-trends-devices-and-applications), NSFlow

### Predecessors & successors

34. [Encyclopedia.com -- "Apprenticeship": colonial and early industrial apprentice hierarchy in American skilled trades](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/labor/apprenticeship), Encyclopedia.com
35. [IPUMS USA -- 1950 occupational classification: helpers to mechanics and repairmen recruited from general laborer category](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/resources/volii/Occupations1950.pdf), IPUMS / University of Minnesota

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 -- Helpers, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers (49-9098.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/49-9098.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 -- 49-9098 Helpers, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers: national employment and wage statistics (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 -- GPTs are GPTs (Science): maintenance and physical trades show lowest LLM task exposure](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0998), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Goldman Sachs 2023 -- Generative AI Could Replace 300 Million Jobs: manual trades among least-exposed occupations](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-will-ai-affect-the-global-workforce), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034 -- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations overview](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [UpKeep Intelligence -- Voice Fill transcribes spoken notes into work orders; Work Order Summaries auto-generate closeout documentation](https://upkeep.com/upkeep-ai/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MaintainX Report Builder AI -- VP of Engineering Sami Tas: "60% of the time is spent on researching and diagnosing the issues, and only 40% on the wrench," March 2026](https://www.facilitiesdive.com/news/maintainx-touts-ai-solution-for-preparing-maintenance-reports/815686/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Dozuki Connected Worker Platform -- CreatorPro AI generates step-by-step maintenance documentation; Gartner 2025 Hype Cycle named Dozuki in Connected Factory Worker category](https://www.dozuki.com/how-to-use-ai-standard-work), accessed 2026-06-05
- [AR in Maintenance 2026 -- PTC benchmark: 32% improvement in task completion time, 40% reduction in procedural error rates with AR overlays](https://oxmaint.com/article/ar-augmented-reality-maintenance), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.