Skilled Trades
Power Line Technician
Storms create overtime, not obsolescence.
AI Risk Score: 2/10
Score is our body/liability/scarcity rubric, calibrated against public AI-exposure research.
Data last reviewed: 2026-07-21
What you actually do
Install and repair transmission and distribution lines across utility networks.
Why AI does not easily replace it
Emergency response, weather exposure, and grid restoration are high-risk field tasks.
What it pays
$67,000 - $110,000
BLS OOH: Line Installers and Repairers (May 2025 pay, OEWS)
Salary benchmark year: 2025
How to get in
Utility apprenticeship + climbing and high-voltage safety programs.
Estimated time to entry: ~36 months (path-dependent).
State-by-state training and licensing links
- Apprenticeship.gov: Registered apprenticeship job finder
- U.S. DOL: State apprenticeship agencies directory
Where demand is growing
Grid hardening and reliability mandates support long-run demand.
Ready to explore?
Compare this career in the full directory, or run the exposure calculator against your current role.
"The moat is not a prompt. It is responsibility in the real world."
AI risk evidence
- Anthropic Economic Index (2025-26): measured AI usage and task coverage by occupation
- IMF, "New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work" (Jan 2026): ~40% of global jobs exposed to AI-driven change
- Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026 (labor chapters)
- Oxford Martin: The Future of Employment (2013), kept for historical grounding