Career
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
Install and repair elevators and escalators.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
- Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
- Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
- Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
- Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Operations Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though apprenticeship is typical, for a median of $109,910 a year and 1,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/TechnicianCIP 47.0303
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$49,590 · +4.2%
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines$65,510 · +6.7%
- Millwrights$65,700 · +0.9%
- Rail Car Repairers$67,530 · +2.6%
- Mechanical Door Repairers$55,720 · +6.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.