Elevator mechanics can make over $150,000, and this CEO says they can’t hire them fast enough
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Otis CEO Judy Marks says demand for skilled elevator repairmen is increasing worldwide.
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Otis offers workers an apprenticeship program and tuition benefits starting at age 18.
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Elevator repairmen can earn salaries of up to $158,890, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In a period of intense layoffsIt may feel like no job is safe.
Except maybe elevator repairmen.
Judy Marks is the CEO of elevator giant Otis and manages a workforce of approximately 72,000 employees. That includes about 45,000 mechanics, and he says the company can’t hire them fast enough.
“Demand is high,” Marks told Business Insider.
Otis employed approximately 40,000 of these field professionals when it spun off from its parent company in April 2020. Today, that number is up about 12.5% to 45,000, Otis said. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted Elevator and escalator installers and repairers are projected to grow by 5% between 2024 and 2034, which will be 2% above the average for all occupations.
Beyond installing elevators and escalators, technicians also maintain and repair equipment, he said. In some markets, including Japan, declining populations combined with growth in renovation and construction have made hiring more difficult, he said.
Mechanics don’t need it either Worry about losing their jobs to automation in the near future. Being a regulated industry in most countries, Marks said people are needed for the job. The role requires years of training and physical labor, and until now these have not been easily replaced by robots.
“It really is a craft skill,” Marks said.
A long term career
A lot skilled trades jobs has been on the rise in recent years. LinkedIn released data last year that revealed construction was the fastest-growing industry for recent college graduates. In 2026 sorted Construction ranks fifth among the fastest growing sectors for new graduates.
Elevator repairmen, in particular, tend to stay in the profession for decades, Marks said. He said Otis has roughly as many workers who have been with the company for more than 30 years as there are mechanics with zero to five years of experience.
“This kind of ‘silver cliff’ is not coming,” Marks said, referring to the struggles of some older workers in other sectors.
“Most of them stay in the trade for the rest of their lives, and many of them, their fathers, mothers or grandfathers were in the business.”
In the US, Otis elevator repairers are represented through a multiemployer union. Marks said he offers apprenticeship training to people who work as assistants at Otis during the day and attend elevator service school at night, starting from the age of 18. After completing a four-year apprenticeship and passing a mechanic’s exam, workers achieve journeyman status in the trade.
