Meter Readers, Utilities

Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.

The occupation "Meter Readers, Utilities" faces an automation risk of 70.1%, primarily due to the repetitive and predictable nature of its core tasks. The base risk is calculated at 70.8%, highlighting that a significant majority of the daily activities performed by meter readers can be automated with current or near-future technology. Advancements in remote reading technologies, such as smart meters, have drastically reduced the need for physical meter inspections, enabling automated collection and transmission of consumption data directly to utility companies. Tasks such as reading electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and entering data, uploading collected information into office computers, and physically traveling predetermined routes to read meters are especially susceptible to automation. These activities are routine, structured, and do not require complex decision-making or adaptability, making them ideal candidates for both robotic process automation and internet-connected devices. While the bulk of meter reading responsibilities are automatable, certain tasks remain more resistant to technological replacement. For example, reporting lost or broken keys, performing preventative maintenance or minor repairs on meters, and updating client address and meter location information are activities that often require situational judgment, manual dexterity, or problem-solving in unpredictable settings. Such tasks frequently involve unique on-site challenges that are difficult to standardize for automated systems, often relying on a human's ability to assess specific issues or communicate directly with customers and other stakeholders. Human intervention is especially valuable when exceptions occur, such as unanticipated meter failures or errors in customer data, which automated systems may struggle to resolve independently. The role’s most significant bottleneck skill is originality, which is notably present but at a low level (2.3% and 2.0% across related tasks). This low reliance on originality further increases the occupation’s risk of automation; most of the meter reader's tasks require following established procedures rather than inventing new solutions or approaching problems creatively. Since automation systems excel at executing repeatable, rule-based tasks but falter in scenarios requiring innovative thinking, the relatively minor demand for originality in this occupation means that the majority of responsibilities can be seamlessly automated. Only those occasional, unconventional responsibilities involving troubleshooting or novel customer service challenges are likely to remain under human control in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the combination of high process repeatability and low originality demands leads to the elevated automation risk observed for meter readers in utility companies.