San Francisco: In the City of AI, an Elevator Career is a Good Bet

In San Francisco, a technology-forward city where AI is replacing entry-level jobs, a career as an elevator technician offers job seekers a six-figure-plus salary and job stability, Mission Local reports. With older buildings and aging elevators, San Francisco, International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8 Business Secretary Greg Hardeman said, is the most lucrative market in the country for elevator technicians, who earn an average salary of US$130,000. With elevator replacement parts in short supply and few elevator technicians with expertise in old mechanisms, both demand and salaries are high for those who can skillfully pull wires, align rails, weld brackets, install door jambs and hang doors. Hardeman said the city experienced a major uptick in its elevator apprenticeship program enrollment in April, with 750 applications filling up in under a minute. Becoming certified takes approximately four to five years. Nationwide, there are fewer than 20,000 elevator technicians — with only 1,400 in Northern California.