AI Career Radar

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.

AI exposure49 / 100Moderate exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation37
Freedom to set tasks53
Repeating the same tasks68
$61,010Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+10.9%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (much faster than average)BLS Employment Projections
63Skill durability (moderate)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Critical Thinking
63
66
Judgment and Decision Making
63
53
Active Listening
63
50
Speaking
63
50
Monitoring
63
50
Complex Problem Solving
62
53
Active Learning
62
50
Coordination
62
50
Reading Comprehension
61
56
Time Management
61
50
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Social Perceptiveness
60
50
Writing
60
47
Instructing
58
41
Learning Strategies
58
35
Systems Analysis
57
53
Systems Evaluation
56
53
Service Orientation
56
44
Persuasion
54
41
Mathematics
53
41
Negotiation
52
25
Science
52
22
Management of Personnel Resources
50
41
Operations Analysis
49
25
Installation
48
56
Troubleshooting
47
69
Equipment Maintenance
47
56
Equipment Selection
47
53
Quality Control Analysis
47
50
Management of Material Resources
47
31
Management of Financial Resources
47
25
Technology Design
47
22
Operations Monitoring
46
69
Repairing
46
60
Programming
45
22
Operation and Control
43
50

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$53,140
10-yr growth
+36.5%
Skill gap
2%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Installation, Active Listening, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$95,320
10-yr growth
+10.3%
Skill gap
3%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Active Listening, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Coordination

84/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
14%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking

84/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
14%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Monitoring, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking

#6Wind Turbine Service TechniciansInstallation & Repair
83/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$64,120
10-yr growth
+29.5%
Skill gap
6%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Equipment Maintenance, Learning Strategies, Repairing, Instructing

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.