Gather tools and supplies
Gather the tools and supplies the repair worker will need before the job begins.
Career profile
Installation and Maintenance Helper
Repair helpers assist repair workers taking machines apart, replacing parts and putting them back together.
Keeping tools and supplies ready for repair workers means you watch their work up close and learn it while you help.
A day in the life
Wheel supplies to the repair
Load a hand truck or dolly with supplies from storage and wheel it to the repair.
Take a unit apart
Alongside the repair worker, pull parts off a unit and sort the fasteners for reassembly.
Clean up after the repair
Once the repair is done, clean the tools and clear the work area so another job can start.
Quick facts
High school + workplace training
United States · 2025
$19.05/hour
United States · 2025
5.3% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + workplace trainingTypical preparation is a high school diploma or equivalent followed by short-term on-the-job training. Individual employers set their requirements.
Pay
$19.05/hourThe 2025 national median was $39,630 a year.
Outlook
5.3% projected growthAbout 13,600 openings per year are projected nationally for 2025–35.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy using hand tools and seeing how parts fit together.
- You ask questions when instructions are unclear.
- You can give routine cleanup the same attention as a repair.
Things to weigh
- Standing, bending, noise, and hot or cold work areas can wear you down.
- In public facilities, emergencies such as flooding can interrupt routine work and bring hours outside the normal schedule.
Where AI may help
In some jobs, software records equipment readings or helps control building systems.
What people still lead
You still handle parts, position tools, and coordinate movements with the repair worker.
What we can’t predict yet
How much checking shifts to software will depend on the equipment; older and newer systems may need different amounts of hands-on attention.
Pay in context
Earnings
When comparing offers, ask about the starting rate, expected hours, benefits, and requirements for the next pay level.
The national midpoint
Median pay was $39,630 annually, or $19.05 hourly, in 2025. Half of workers earned more and half earned less; this is not a starting-pay promise.
The pay spread
In 2025, the lowest-paid 10% earned $14.09 an hour or less, while the highest-paid 10% earned $26.87 or more. The annual thresholds were $29,310 and $55,890. These describe the wage spread, not steps on a career ladder.
Pay across workplaces
For historical context, May 2023 average hourly pay was $16.49 in automotive repair and maintenance, $18.57 at building equipment contractors, and $23.71 in local government excluding schools and hospitals. These are national averages for helpers, not current offers.
Openings beyond new jobs
Employment is projected to grow 5.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,600 openings annually. Openings include replacing workers who leave the occupation, so they outnumber newly created jobs.
Getting started
Enter a beginner helper job
- What the route involves
- Join a facilities crew and learn routine upkeep, moving supplies, and minor repairs.
- What it can lead to
- Some public helper classifications accept applicants without previous formal training or experience.
- What to check
- Check the actual position’s age and driving requirements before applying.
Bring existing tool experience
- What the route involves
- Apply existing trade or materials-handling skills to a maintenance crew’s work.
- What it can lead to
- You can pursue helper positions that expect practical experience at entry.
- What to check
- Federal positions can also require driving and forklift licenses, citizenship eligibility, and background and drug screening.
You work with experienced repair workers who direct and check your work. Some helper jobs teach beginners; others expect useful skills before hiring.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Become dependable
Learn the shop’s tools and routines. Practice completing minor tasks accurately and explaining what you found.
Take on harder tasks
Build trade skills and learn to read equipment drawings as your tasks become more demanding.
Move toward maintenance worker
A possible next role is general maintenance and repair worker. Build the skills to handle a wider range of repairs; the move depends on your abilities and available positions.
Where you can work
Public buildings and facilities
Routine upkeep can share the day with moving furniture, window repairs, or cleanup after a leak. Emergencies may change both the task and your hours.
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Physical demands
Large institutional project crews
You move materials between storage and worksites while learning from several trades. Projects may run on day or night shifts.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose instructions for a small, unpowered assembly, such as a shelf. Without assembling it, sort its hardware, identify the tools, and lay out what another person would need first. Notice whether you enjoy making someone else’s work easier and keeping track of small parts.
Stay safe: Use loose parts and instructions only; do not dismantle appliances or powered equipment.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 49-9098.00 — Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–35. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Rockland County. Maintenance Helper — class specification. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Architect of the Capitol. Maintenance Helper — announcement CEB-2026-399. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. General Maintenance and Repair Workers — How to Become One. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Tables. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. California Wages: 49-9098.00 — United States comparison tables, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 — 49-9098 Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.