UK dataswitch to US
Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors
adhering to health and safety requirements in the workplace, inspecting and testing completed units to verify they meet specifications and customer requirements and training workers in job-specific tasks to ensure effective performance. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI is already taking a real slice of the routine work here: compiling operational records, including time and production records, stock data and testing results. That is a slice of tasks, not of you.
That slice is not coming back; the core of the job, conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment, stays yours. New tools, same person answering for it.
Your week, as this page understands it
Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors oversee operations and directly supervise and coordinate the activities of workers in skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades. The job title says “skilled metal”, “electrical” or “electronic trades supervisors”: officially one job, several names. The real job is the part underneath: conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors is not one task. It is 32 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 24%
- changing shape
- 18%
- staying human
- 58%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 36 out of 100 (31–42 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 32 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- 13 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
8 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Determining schedules, sequences and assignments for work activities based on priority, equipment quantity and personnel skill
This is reading one thing and writing another: schedules, sequences and assignments in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 80 · 5250/00Source: “Determine schedules, sequences, and assignments for work activities based on priority, equipment quantity, and personnel skill.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Matching jobs to people, kit and priorities is a scheduling problem software is good at.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Planning work activities in consultation with supervisors or engineers
This is reading one thing and writing another: work activities in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 75 · 5250/00Source: “Plan work activities in consultation with supervisors or engineers.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Drawing up a work plan from known jobs and resources is scheduling software does quickly.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Compiling operational records, including time and production records, stock data and testing results
This is reading one thing and writing another: operational records, including time and production records in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Compile operational records, including time and production records, stock data, and test results.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Pulling together time, production and stock records is routine compilation work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring production rates to assess productivity
This is reading one thing and writing another: production rates in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Monitor production rates to assess productivity.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Production rates come straight from machine data, so measuring output is well suited to automatic reporting.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Changing shape
6 tasksTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Supervising maintenance programmes for trade equipment to ensure operational efficiency
The software now makes the first pass at maintenance programmes, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 85 · 5250/00Source: “Supervise maintenance programmes for trade equipment to ensure operational efficiency.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (41–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Planning and tracking a maintenance programme is scheduling work that software handles well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Compiling or maintaining records of system operation
The software now makes the first pass at records of system operation, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 75 · 5250/00Source: “Compile or maintain records of system operation, performance, and maintenance.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (52–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Compiling operation and maintenance records is routine record-keeping software handles reliably.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Identifying and reviewing resource needs with personnel
The software now makes the first pass at resource needs, but the part that matters is a person saying it and standing behind it. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Identify and review resource needs with personnel.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 53 out of 100 (46–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Working out resource needs is planning work, though agreeing them happens in conversation with managers.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
18 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Adhering to health and safety requirements in the workplace
This work happens in the physical world: health, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 90 · 5250/00Source: “Adhere to health and safety requirements in the workplace.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 20 out of 100 (13–27 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Software can supply the safety guidance, but staying safe around metal and electrical work is something a supervisor does in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Maintaining a safe working environment by monitoring safety procedures and equipment
This work happens in the physical world: a safe working environment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 85 · 5250/00Source: “Maintain a safe working environment by monitoring safety procedures and equipment.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 7 out of 100 (0–14 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Keeping a workshop safe means being there watching how people actually work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reviewing employees' work performance for quality assurance
The value here is that a specific person handles employees' work performance and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 80 · 5250/00Source: “Review employees' work performance for quality assurance.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Judging someone work quality fairly relies on watching them and knowing the person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Show the other 22 tasks
Calculating the cost of materials
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: the cost of materials in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Calculate the cost of materials, transport, labour and equipment hire.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Costing materials, transport, labour and hire is arithmetic against price lists, which software handles accurately.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring departmental spending
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: departmental in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Monitor departmental spending.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Watching departmental spending against budget is standard finance reporting that software does automatically.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Ordering materials and supplies, such as tools, equipment or replacement parts
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: materials in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Order materials and supplies, such as tools, equipment, or replacement parts.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Ordering parts and supplies is routine purchasing that ordering systems already largely handle.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing input into budget planning and preparation
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: input in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 50 · 5250/00Source: “Provide input into budget planning and preparation.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Budget input is number work on costs and workloads already recorded.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Identifying required repair methods based on analysis
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at required repair methods, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Identify required repair methods based on analysis.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Choosing a repair method from test results follows documented practice that software can work through.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reviewing, evaluating and approving specifications for issuing and awarding tenders
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at specifications, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 50 · 5250/00Source: “Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding tenders.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 50 out of 100 (43–57 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Comparing tender specifications is well suited to software, though a named person in the firm still has to stand behind the approval.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Designing prototypes for equipment configurations to meet project specifications
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at prototypes, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 50 · 5250/00Source: “Design prototypes for equipment configurations to meet project specifications.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Configurations can be designed on screen, but prototypes are assembled and tried in the real world.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Recommending personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers and dismissals
staying humanThe ratings behind this row put personnel actions well outside what today's tools can do on their own.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Recommend personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, and dismissals.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 37 out of 100 (30–44 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Software can draft the paperwork, but the call rests on close personal knowledge of each worker that only the supervisor on the floor has.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Coordinating the processing of purchased products
staying humanThe ratings behind this row put the processing of purchased products well outside what today's tools can do on their own.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Coordinate the processing of purchased products.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 37 out of 100 (30–44 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Scheduling and tracking incoming goods is largely system work, but keeping the flow moving still needs someone directing people on the shop floor.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Inspecting installation sites and reviewing work orders
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: installation sites, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Inspect installation sites and review work orders, building plans, and manuals to determine material requirements and procedures.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 29 out of 100 (22–36 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The drawings and work orders can be read on a screen, but the site itself has to be visited.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Addressing employee grievances
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles employee grievances and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Address employee grievances.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 16 out of 100 (9–23 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: A grievance is settled by listening to the person face to face, something software cannot do, even though it can draft the letters.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Monitoring machine operations and observing lights and gauges to detect malfunctions
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: machine operations, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 50 · 5250/00Source: “Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Sensors can flag many faults, but watching the machine run and reacting still happens on the floor.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Interpreting specifications, blueprints or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: specifications, blueprints or job orders, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 65 · 5250/00Source: “Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 13 out of 100 (6–20 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reading the drawings is something software does well; making templates and marking out reference points is hands-on.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Investigating accidents in the workplace
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: accidents, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 80 · 5250/00Source: “Investigate accidents in the workplace.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The write-up can be drafted by software, but someone has to walk the workshop, look at the machine and talk to the people involved.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Inspecting and testing completed units to verify they meet specifications and customer requirements
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: completed units, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 75 · 5250/00Source: “Inspect and test completed units to verify they meet specifications and customer requirements.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Inspecting and testing finished units means handling them and running the tests.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Checking the safety of equipment and devices
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: the safety of equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 80 · 5250/00Source: “Check the safety of equipment and devices.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Checking equipment is hands-on, and for electrical kit an electrically competent person is expected to do it rather than a machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Training workers in job-specific tasks to ensure effective performance
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: workers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 75 · 5250/00Source: “Train workers in job-specific tasks to ensure effective performance.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (2–10 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Teaching someone a practical job means showing them at the bench or machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Conducting training sessions on repair techniques and tools for new repairers
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: sessions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Conduct training sessions on repair techniques and tools for new repairers.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (2–10 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Teaching repair techniques means demonstrating with the tools in front of trainees.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: regular safety checks, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 80 · 5250/00Source: “Conduct regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Checking and servicing tools is hands-on workshop work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Measuring completed work to verify conformance to repair requirements
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: completed work, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 70 · 5250/00Source: “Measure completed work to verify conformance to repair requirements.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Measuring finished work means physically checking it with instruments.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Repairing, maintaining and adjusting equipment using hand tools
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 60 · 5250/00Source: “Repair, maintain, and adjust equipment using hand tools.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Repairing and adjusting equipment with hand tools is physical work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Carrying out minor welding work
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: minor welding work, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 50 · 5250/00Source: “Carry out minor welding work.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Welding is physical work with a torch in your hands.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- £45,200a year, before tax, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.ashe-t14, 2025 · ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025)Provisional, because the ONS revises this figure in the autumn.
How we know this
Source: ashe-t14
Reference period: ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025)
Rounding: Shown to the nearest £100. The exact published figure is in the downloadable dataset. We do not render pounds the survey cannot support.
- People doing this job
- 42,900in the UK, 2026.nomis-aps · Apr 2025-Mar 2026 (latest APS 12-month period)This headcount comes from a survey, not a census, so treat it as a good estimate rather than an exact count.
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: operational records, including time and production records in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: compiling operational records and determining schedules. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where regular safety checks get done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Compiling operational records, including time and production records, stock data and testing results is going; conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment is not.
So, given all that: 24% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 18% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 58% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 32 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.
This week: one thing
Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.
- What you end up holding
- your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
- How long it takes
- about twenty minutes
If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.
Over the next 90 days
Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.
Over the next 12 months
Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles conducting regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, spend an hour with National Careers Service. It is free and government-funded, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest UK occupations to skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was garage managers and proprietors. This release publishes no median pay for that job, so I cannot show you what the move costs or pays. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 36/100 here, with only 24% of the task list in the top band, and “adhere to health and safety requirements in the workplace” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 412 UK occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Garage managers and proprietors
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “conduct regular safety checks and maintenance on workshop tools and equipment”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 61% of the work in that job the software is not taking.
Why I am not recommending it: This release publishes no median pay for that job, so I cannot show you what the move costs or pays. I do not recommend a move I cannot price.
Production, factory and assembly supervisors
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 8% of the work in that job the software is not taking.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 8% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: £36,777 against your £45,150, 18.5% less (ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Cleaning and housekeeping managers and supervisors
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already measure completed work to verify conformance to repair requirements, and their equivalent is to inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements. Across both published task lists that is about 5% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 5% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: £28,605 against your £45,150, 36.6% less (ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 24% of its task weight, across 32 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The whole-job doom story
Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.
Panic-buying a course
Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
If you run a team doing this job
If you run a team doing this job, the conversation you owe them is the one on this page, and sooner than feels comfortable. Show them the ledger rather than a reassurance: the rows moving toward the software are compiling operational records, including time and production records, stock data and testing results, and the rows that are not are where you want your people visible. Ask each of them to do the this-week move and bring the list to your next one-to-one. It turns a rumour into a piece of work, and it tells you which parts of your team's week are actually at stake. And say the thing out loud that a team lead usually leaves unsaid: a shrinking team is your exposure too, so do the move yourself as well.
You are reading the United Kingdom figures
The United States splits this work across more than one official group, of which First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United States page →partial match
In US official statistics this job is counted as First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
In England:
A free hour with a government-funded careers adviser is worth more than another evening of reading. In England that's the National Careers Service.
Free, government-funded
In England:
National Careers Service - Find a course
Search what's actually running near you before you spend anything.
Free to search; individual courses vary
In England:
Free courses for jobs (Level 3 qualifications)
A free Level 3 qualification you already qualify for beats a paid course you don't need.
Free for eligible adults
In England:
Free, up to 16 weeks, and you get a job interview at the end. In England these are Skills Bootcamps - search what's running near you.
Free for eligible adults in England
In Scotland:
My World of Work (Skills Development Scotland)
In Scotland it's My World of Work, from Skills Development Scotland.
Free, publicly funded
In Wales:
In Wales it's Careers Wales.
Free, Welsh Government-funded
In Northern Ireland:
Careers Service Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland it's the Careers Service on nidirect.
Free, Department for the Economy-funded
No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it
Nothing Collab365 runs is built for skilled metal / electrical / electronic trades supervisors, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 24% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.
7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.
The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for skilled metal / electrical / electronic trades supervisors. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for skilled metal / electrical / electronic trades supervisors launches. Nothing else.
That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.
We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.
No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 32 official task statements scored for Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors (United Kingdom, SOC 5250), 24% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 36 out of 100 (range 31–42, band: low). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Compile operational records, including time and production records, stock data, and test results” (93/100, very high); “Calculate the cost of materials, transport, labour and equipment hire” (93/100, very high); “Monitor departmental spending” (93/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors” stay human?
- About 58% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Carry out minor welding work” (0/100, minimal); “Repair, maintain, and adjust equipment using hand tools” (0/100, minimal); “Measure completed work to verify conformance to repair requirements” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 24% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 58% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 32 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
About the data on this page
- Provisional, because the ONS revises this figure in the autumn.
- This headcount comes from a survey, not a census, so treat it as a good estimate rather than an exact count.
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 13 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- gaisi-indexProcessing: catalogue-bridge → ssc-relatedness-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- gaisi-index (relatedness)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
- Pay and employment
- ashe-t14 (ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025))nomis-aps (Apr 2025-Mar 2026 (latest APS 12-month period))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.