Skip to content
Boston Career Explorer

Construction and Extraction

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: Apprentice, E and I Apprentice (Electrical and Instrumentation Apprentice), E and I Apprentice (Electrician and Instrumentation Apprentice), Electrical Apprentice, Electrical Helper, Electrician Apprentice

Median pay in Greater Boston
$48,340
$23.24/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
490
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.1%
110 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,830$44,090$48,340$57,670$57,670

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure3 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 4
  • Language-model AIOE 3
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 3

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is low, and observed AI use is little or none. Most of the work is hands-on: stripping wire, bending conduit, and tightening connections. AI tools might help a bit with tracing faults and keeping supplies organized, but they do not do the physical work. Federal projections note that construction laborers are increasingly assigned helper tasks, which is a separate change from AI.

Likely to change

  • Digital test tools for tracing wiring faults
  • Tracking parts and supplies

Still relies on people

  • Cutting, bending, and connecting wire by hand
  • Checking connections while working on site

What federal projections say

“Occupational substitution - share decreases as construction laborers are increasingly assigned helpers tasks because they can support various trades, including electricians.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Measuring, hand-tool skills, and working from specifications carry over. This apprenticeship path has a much higher Boston median pay of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$72,500 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Careful measuring and using levels and hand tools carry over. The apprenticeship offers higher pay, with a Boston median of $96,960.

    Pay difference
    +$48,620 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Roofers

    Inspecting problems and repairing them with hand tools carries over. This job needs no formal credential and has projected growth of 7.7%.

    Pay difference
    +$18,010 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

Talk to a career coach