Compare Occupations

	Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians	Solar Photovoltaic Installers	Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	Geothermal Technicians	Solar Energy Installation Managers
SUMMARY	23% Low Risk	32% Low Risk	27% Low Risk	29% Low Risk	21% Low Risk
JOB SCORE	6.4/10	5.7/10	7.6/10	4.3/10	7.0/10
POLLING	There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet	41% (Moderate Risk, Based on 16 votes)	20% (Low Risk, Based on 242 votes)	There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet	There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet
GROWTH by year 2034	4.5%	42.1%	8.1%	2.4%	5.3%
WAGES	$62,970 or $30.27 per hour	$51,860 or $24.93 per hour	$59,810 or $28.75 per hour	$48,640 or $23.38 per hour	$78,690 or $37.83 per hour
VOLUME as of 2024	455,940	28,280	396,870	183,690	806,080
SNOWFLAKE [?] The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
DESCRIPTION	Install or repair solar energy systems designed to collect, store, and circulate solar-heated water for residential, commercial or industrial use.	Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. May include measuring, cutting, assembling, and bolting structural framing and solar modules. May perform minor electrical work such as current checks.	Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.	Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test, and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.	Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.

Compare Occupations Side by Side

Curious how automation and AI could affect your career? Our comparison tool lets you view two or more jobs side by side, helping you quickly spot differences in risk level, pay, growth, and popularity. All of this is based on a mix of academic research, user polling, and official labour data.

Automation Risk

Each occupation shows a probability of automation. A higher score means machines and algorithms are more likely to take over the role in the future.

Job Score

A quick summary of how a job performs overall — factoring in wages, growth, volume, and automation risk. It’s a handy way to see the bigger picture at a glance.

Polling Data

Thousands of visitors cast their votes on how “automatable” each job feels. These community insights are shown alongside the calculated probabilities.

Growth & Wages

See how fast each occupation is projected to grow and what people earn on average. High wages don’t always mean high security — automation risk still matters.

Volume of Workers

Explore how many people currently work in each occupation and in which year the data was recorded. Popularity can affect how disruptive automation will be for the wider economy.

The Snowflake Diagram

Each snowflake visualises the balance between automation risk, wages, growth, and job volume. Bigger and greener areas mean stronger performance in that dimension.

Use this comparison page to research careers, guide students, or simply explore the future of work. All data is regularly updated to keep the results relevant.