Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.
Also called: Lubricator, Machine Repairer, Maintainer, Maintenance Craftsman, Maintenance Man, Maintenance Mechanic
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $55,010
- $26.45/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 250
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +2.5%
- 30 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Long-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
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $45,100 | $45,140 | $55,010 | $66,010 | $82,340 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.
- Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work.
- Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information.
- Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures.
- Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications.
- Set up and operate machines, and adjust controls to regulate operations.
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 exposure20 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 17
- Language-model AIOE 17
- GPTs-are-GPTs 25
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is on the lower end, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with record keeping, but most of the work is physical, like dismantling, lubricating, and replacing parts. Federal projections say some of this work is shifting to industrial machinery mechanics, which is not caused by AI.
Likely to change
- Recording repair and maintenance information
- Following written maintenance procedures
Still relies on people
- Dismantling and reassembling machines with tools
- Lubricating and replacing machine parts
What federal projections say
“Occupational substitution - share decreases as maintenance services are performed by industrial machinery mechanics.”
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.
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Your experience taking machines apart and changing parts carries over. This job offers higher Boston median pay ($75,200) and projected growth of 17.1%.
- Pay difference
- +$20,190 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +17.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
Replacing worn parts and reassembling equipment carry over to heavy machines. Median pay is $76,770, with long-term on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$21,760 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +4.9%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Hand and power tool skills carry over to truck and bus repair. Median pay is $75,770, with long-term on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$20,760 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
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
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
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