Industrial Machinery Mechanics build equipment maintenance, repairing and troubleshooting skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines (92%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 92% | $65,510 | +2% | None |
| 2 | Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 91% | $56,210 | −13% | None |
| 3 | Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | 83% | $53,710 | −17% | None |
| 4 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 82% | $102,040Pay for the broader BLS group “Power Plant Operators” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 82% | $79,870 | +24% | None |
| 6 | Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | 82% | $73,900 | +15% | None |
| 7 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | 81% | $74,090 | +15% | None |
| 8 | Machinists | 81% | $58,750 | −9% | None |
| 9 | Robotics Technicians | 81% | $73,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists | 81% | $61,770 | −4% | None |
Compared with Industrial Machinery Mechanics, median $64,520. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as industrial machinery mechanics (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
92% skill match · $65,510 · +2% pay
Management of Material Resources · Negotiation · Persuasion
91% skill match · $56,210 · −13% pay
Equipment Selection · Complex Problem Solving · Service Orientation
83% skill match · $53,710 · −17% pay
Management of Material Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines (92% skill match, median $65,510), Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (91% skill match, median $56,210) and Engine and Other Machine Assemblers (83% skill match, median $53,710), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 12 pay more than industrial machinery mechanics at the median. The biggest increases: Ship Engineers (+70%, $109,530), Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+70%, $109,910) and Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay (+60%, $103,020).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.