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🇬🇧 UKSOC 3131· Science, Engineering and Technology Associate Professionals

IT technicians

IT technicians are responsible for the day-to-day running of IT systems and networks including the preparation of back-up systems, and for performing regular checks to ensure the smooth functioning of such systems.

Computer games testerDigital administratorIT technicianNetwork administratorSystems administrator
£34,656
median salary
£28,218 – £41,875
80,400
currently employed
128,813
projected 2035
Strong growth
7 tasks scored6 AI Assists1 Human-Led

Task Bundle Breakdown

How AI interacts with this occupation's task bundle

86%
14%
0%
AI automates
86%
AI assists
14%
Human-led

Task-by-Task Breakdown

Every task scored individually — sorted highest to lowest AI exposure

67

analyses systems and makes recommendations to improve performance

AI Assists

AI tools like Dynatrace and New Relic use machine learning to analyse system performance data and surface recommendations, significantly accelerating analysis but requiring human judgement to prioritise and implement changes.

67

performs server backup and recovery operations and restarts systems following outages

AI Assists

AI can automate backup scheduling, monitor backup integrity, and assist with recovery planning using tools like Veeam with AI features, though human oversight is critical during actual recovery operations and outages.

56

administers, monitors and supports internal/external networks, servers, email and security systems

AI Assists

AI-powered monitoring tools like Datadog and Splunk use ML to detect anomalies and flag issues, but human judgment is still needed to interpret alerts, prioritise responses, and manage complex network configurations.

56

schedules and performs system maintenance tasks, such as loading user applications, programs and data

AI Assists

AI can automate scheduling and execution of routine maintenance tasks via tools like Microsoft Copilot for Azure or Ansible with AI-assisted playbooks, though oversight and exception handling remain human responsibilities.

56

identifies problems, agrees remedial action and undertakes emergency maintenance if required

AI Assists

AI-powered diagnostic tools like ServiceNow's AIOps can identify and suggest fixes for common problems, but complex or novel issues still require experienced human technicians to diagnose and resolve safely.

44

configures and sets up new server systems

AI Assists

AI tools like GitHub Copilot can generate configuration scripts and suggest server setup steps, but physical setup, environment-specific decisions, and validation still require human expertise.

33

acts as a liaison between users, outside suppliers, and other technical teams

Human-Led

AI chatbots like Copilot can help draft communications or summarise technical issues, but effective liaison between users, suppliers, and technical teams fundamentally depends on human relationship-building and contextual negotiation.

ROI Calculator

IT technicians

13.1hrs
saved per week
630hrs
per year ≈ 16.8 weeks
£12,130
salary-equivalent capacity freed per year

This is not a pay rise — it's 630 hours of productive capacity that AI could return to you, valued at your current rate.

£29,705
value at risk — 86% of role exposed to AI

The portion of your current salary tied to tasks AI can automate or augment. Not a prediction of job loss — a signal of where your role is changing fastest.

How is this calculated?▾

Task weights — each task is weighted by its O*NET frequency rating. Where frequency data is absent, equal weighting is applied.

AI time reduction — tasks scored as "AI Automates" assume 80% time saving; "AI Assists" assumes 40%; "Human-Led" assumes 5%.

Salary equivalent — annual hours saved × (salary ÷ 1,800 working hours/year).

Value at risk — salary × share of role time in AI-automate or AI-assist tasks.

Figures are indicative estimates for planning purposes, not guarantees of productivity gain or job loss risk.