Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

Helpers--Electricians

Help electricians by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

Also called: Electrical Apprentice, Electrician Apprentice, Electrician Helper, Electrician's Helper, Apprentice, E and I Apprentice (Electrical and Instrumentation Apprentice), E and I Apprentice (Electrician and Instrumentation Apprentice), Electrical Helper.

O*NET 47-3013.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $42,670; Middle half earn $36,830 to $48,470. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 71% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Strip insulation from wire ends, using wire stripping pliers, and attach wires to terminals for subsequent soldering.
Trace out short circuits in wiring, using test meter.
Measure, cut, and bend wire and conduit, using measuring instruments and hand tools.
Examine electrical units for loose connections and broken insulation and tighten connections, using hand tools.
Maintain tools, vehicles, and equipment and keep parts and supplies in order.
Drill holes and pull or push wiring through openings, using hand and power tools.
Clean work area and wash parts.
Perform semi-skilled and unskilled laboring duties related to the installation, maintenance and repair of a wide variety of electrical systems and equipment.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.3 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Active Learning2.9 / 5
Monitoring2.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.0 / 5
Mechanical3.9 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
Design3.8 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.8 / 5
Administration and Management3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative20
Artistic0
Social17
Enterprising0
Conventional49

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

electrical engineering technician · DE Elektrotechniker/Elektrotechnikerin · FR technicien électricien de la recherche scientifique/technicienne électricienne de la recherche scientifique
electrical supervisor · DE Aufsichtskraft Elektroinstallation · FR chef d’équipe électricien/chef d’équipe électricienne
electrician · DE Industrieelektriker – Geräte und Systeme/Industrieelektrikerin – Geräte und Systeme · FR électricien/électricienne
building electrician · DE Bauelektriker/Bauelektrikerin · FR électricien du bâtiment/électricienne du bâtiment
domestic electrician · DE Elektroniker für Energie- und Gebäudetechnik/Elektronikerin für Energie- und Gebäudetechnik · FR électricien d’équipements domestiques/électricienne d’équipements domestiques
industrial electrician · DE Industrieelektriker – Betriebstechnik/Industrieelektrikerin – Betriebstechnik · FR électricien d’équipements industriels/électricienne d’équipements industriels

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Construction and building trades supervisors (5330)53,100 employed
Electricians and electrical fitters (5241)193,000 employed
Assemblers (electrical and electronic products) (8141)24,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.51. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-3013).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test