Maintenance Industry Overview

Any enterprise with a substantial physical plant or real estate requires maintenance work, a component of overhead that most companies must shoulder. Whether performed by a sole employee or by hundreds or thousands of contract workers, maintenance jobs are a reliable source of employment in sectors ranging from healthcare to automotive manufacturing to government. Large commercial equipment maintenance companies include Pratt & Whitney Engine Services and Aquilex Holdings; in the building-services sector, Serco Group and ABM Industries are major employers, according to Hoovers.

Maintenance Job Market

There were nearly 1.3 million jobs in general maintenance and repairs in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Grounds maintenance workers held an additional 1.2 million jobs, and their ranks are projected to grow by another 254,600 by 2020, faster than the average occupation.

Work opportunities in maintenance are a boon to those with no more than a high school diploma, offering job security and pay that’s typically about twice the minimum wage. Maintenance employment levels fluctuate somewhat, but maintenance deferred in a recession often creates even more work during the eventual recovery. Although workers in grounds maintenance often suffer seasonal ups and downs in employment, the gradual migration of Americans to more temperate climes has created additional landscaping jobs that run year-round, or nearly so.

Common jobs in maintenance include janitor, groundskeeper, landscaper, maintenance mechanic, maintenance technician, maintenance supervisor, maintenance planner, maintenance electrician, maintenance engineer, maintenance director and maintenance manager.

Maintenance Salaries

Median wages for general maintenance and repair workers were $35,030 in 2011, according to the BLS. Grounds maintenance workers earned median salaries of $25,100. Maintenance jobs requiring additional training and skills can pay more. Machinery maintenance workers, for example, earned median salaries of $39,490, with the top 10 percent making $59,860. Aircraft maintenance managers earned a median of $73,237, with the top 10 percent making $109,246, according to online salary database PayScale.com.