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Professionals who keep elevators, escalators, and moving walkways operational have gained prominence in vertical cities, as companies compete for specialists capable of operating critical systems in buildings, hospitals, stations, airports, and shopping centers.
The shortage of elevator mechanics has become a concern for residential buildings, hospitals, stations, airports, and shopping centers that rely on equipment running without interruptions to keep people, services, and operations moving.
In the United States, the career ranks among the highest-paid technical trades in construction and maintenance, with annual compensation exceeding $100,000 according to official labor market data.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. government agency responsible for labor statistics, elevator and escalator installers and repairers received a median salary of $106,580 per year in May 2024.
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In the same base, the top 10% earned over $149,250 annually, while Business Insider cited May 2025 data with an average salary of $109,820 and the 90th percentile at $158,890.
This salary appreciation reflects a combination of risk, responsibility, and extensive training, as the professional installs, maintains, and repairs elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and other vertical transportation systems.
The routine involves mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic components, computerized controls, and safety standards, in environments where a failure can affect everyone from residents and patients to passengers and operation teams.
In tall buildings, an elevator stoppage rarely limits itself to user discomfort, as it can also hinder deliveries, elderly movements, medical care, accessibility, and the functioning of essential services.
Vertical transportation sustains the routine of cities
With the expansion of tall buildings and urban infrastructure dependent on continuous circulation, the role has gained importance in sectors that require safe and predictable internal mobility every day.
Even though the equipment is more connected and monitored by digital sensors, physical installation, inspection, diagnosis, and repair still require trained human presence.
The BLS describes the occupation as an activity that includes reading blueprints, assembling cabins and components, connecting wiring to panels and motors, testing equipment, and troubleshooting.
The work also includes preventive maintenance, checking brakes, motors, switches, and control systems, as well as compliance with building codes and safety rules.
Therefore, the profession does not easily fit into the logic of replacement by automation, although software can record data, sensors can indicate failures, and intelligent systems can anticipate signs of wear.
In practice, someone still needs to arrive at the location, interpret the problem, decide on the correct procedure, and execute the service with precision, especially when the equipment serves areas of high traffic.
Maintenance also occurs when there is no visible defect, as cables, doors, brakes, tracks, push buttons, panels, sensors, and controls depend on recurring inspections and adjustments.
The safety of an elevator comes from the system working in sync, not just from the installed technology or an isolated part replaced after an evident failure.
High salary requires prolonged technical training
The entry path into the career usually involves supervised learning, with technical training and accumulated practical experience before the professional takes on more complex field activities.
According to the BLS, workers typically need a diploma equivalent to the American high school and almost all learn the trade through apprenticeship programs.
In many states in the United States, besides initial training, there is a requirement for a license to practice, which reinforces the entry barrier and makes workforce replacement slower.
These programs generally combine technical education and practical training over four years, during which apprentices study safety, blueprint reading, mathematics, and applied physics.
During the training, the curriculum also includes parts of elevators and escalators, electrical and digital theory, electronics, and maintenance procedures for vertical transportation equipment.
This process helps explain why companies cannot quickly replace experienced professionals, even when there is demand, attractive salaries, and a need to expand field teams.
Unlike occupations with faster adaptation, the elevator mechanic needs to deal with critical systems, weight, energy, movement, and operational risk in high-use locations.
Otis, one of the largest manufacturers and service providers in the sector, employs about 45,000 mechanics within a global workforce of approximately 72,000 people.
According to a Business Insider report published on May 17, 2026, the company’s CEO, Judy Marks, stated that the demand for these professionals is high.
Otis and the challenge of hiring elevator mechanics
Since Otis separated from its former parent company in April 2020, the number of the company’s field professionals has increased from about 40,000 to 45,000.
The approximate 12.5% increase, reported by the company to Business Insider, shows progress in hiring but does not eliminate the pressure created by retirements, new constructions, and equipment modernization.
At the same time, markets with an aging population and old buildings increasingly depend on accessibility, continuous maintenance, and system updates that need to operate regularly.
The official projection reinforces this scenario, as the BLS estimates a 5% growth in employment for elevator and escalator installers and repairers between 2024 and 2034.
The percentage is above the average for all occupations in the United States and is expected to be accompanied by about 2,000 open positions per year throughout the decade.
A large part of these opportunities is expected to arise from the need to replace workers who change professions or leave the market, including through retirement, and not just from the creation of new positions.
Moreover, the maintenance of old equipment, system modernization, and the requirement for accessibility tend to sustain the demand for specialized labor.
For young people seeking a technical career outside the traditional university path, the occupation has gained visibility by combining high remuneration, practical training, and constant demand.
In buildings, hospitals, subways, and airports, however, the issue is even more direct: urban routine depends on professionals capable of keeping people moving safely.
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