Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RC
Home Appliance Repairers
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
Also called: Appliance Technician (Appliance Tech), Repair Technician, Service Technician (Service Tech), Vacuum Repairer, Appliance Mechanic, Appliance Repair Mechanic, Appliance Repair Technician (Appliance Repair Tech), Appliance Service Technician.
O*NET 49-9031.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $50,990
- Middle half earn $43,780 to $63,390. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 69% 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.
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
- Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
- Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
- Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
- Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
- Conserve, recover, and recycle refrigerants used in cooling systems.
- Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.5 / 5
- Active Listening3.4 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
- Active Learning2.9 / 5
- Monitoring2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.1 / 5
- Mechanical4.0 / 5
- English Language3.4 / 5
- Administration and Management3.4 / 5
- Administrative3.4 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.4 / 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
- Investigative22
- Artistic3
- Social10
- Enterprising6
- Conventional64
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)
- kitchen unit installer · DE Küchenbauer/Küchenbauerin · FR installateur de cuisines/installatrice de cuisines
- sports equipment repair technician · DE Sportartikel-Servicetechniker/Sportartikel-Servicetechnikerin · FR technicien en réparation d’articles de sport/technicienne en réparation d’articles de sport
- power tool repair technician · DE Elektroniker für Maschinen und Antriebstechnik/Elektronikerin für Maschinen und Antriebstechnik · FR réparateur d’outils électriques/réparatrice d’outils électriques
- household appliances repair technician · DE Kundendiensttechniker – Haushaltsgeräte/Kundendiensttechnikerin – Haushaltsgeräte · FR réparateur d’électroménagers/réparatrice d’électroménagers
- ATM repair technician · DE Geldautomatenfachmann – Automatenmechatronik/Geldautomatenfachfrau – Automatenmechatronik · FR réparateur de distributeurs automatiques de billets/réparatrice de distributeurs automatiques de billets
- consumer electronics repair technician · DE Kundendiensttechniker - Unterhaltungselektronik/Kundendiensttechnikerin - Unterhaltungselektronik · FR réparateur de biens de consommation électroniques/réparatrice de biens de consommation électroniques
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Computer system and equipment installers and servicers (5244)41,000 employed
- Carpenters and joiners (5316)175,400 employed
- Electrical service and maintenance mechanics and repairers (5246)43,300 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.
| 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 -0.97. 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 (49-9031).
Related careers
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
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.
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