Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers

Replace or repair broken windshields and window glass in motor vehicles.

The occupation "Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers" has an automation risk of 24.8%, which is slightly lower than the base risk of 25.0%. This relatively modest risk reflects that while certain core tasks in this field can be standardized and mechanized, the job as a whole still relies significantly on skills that require human judgment and dexterity. For instance, processes that involve routine preparation and waiting—such as priming scratches with primer, removing debris and ensuring primer dries, and monitoring proper curing times for glass installed with urethane—are among the most automatable tasks in this occupation. These activities are repetitive, require adherence to precise timings, and follow well-established procedures, making them amenable to automation. Despite these automatable aspects, there are key job functions that strongly resist automation. Tasks such as cutting flat safety glass to strict specifications, performing precision pattern making, and undertaking custom glass cutting for replacement windows require a high level of manual skill and adaptability. Similarly, shaping or smoothing glass edges using automated abrasive belts, or installing rubber channeling strips to weatherproof and secure windows, demand nuanced hand-eye coordination and on-the-spot problem solving. These tasks retain a level of variability and require fine motor control that current automation technologies still struggle to replicate reliably in diverse real-world conditions, contributing significantly to the lower risk score. Finally, the bottleneck skills for this occupation—highlighted here as Originality at a 2.0% level—play a crucial role in keeping the automation risk in check. Originality involves devising new approaches, adjusting techniques for unique situations, and handling unexpected installation or repair challenges. Since much of automotive glass installation and repair occurs in less predictable settings and often requires custom solutions, the unique problem-solving ability that humans possess remains difficult to automate. Thus, even as routine or standardized elements of the job may be increasingly managed by machines, the need for creative, adaptive human workers keeps full automation at bay for "Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers."