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Professionals · code 2522

Systems administrators

Systems administrators develop, control, maintain and support the optimal performance and security of information technology systems. Tasks include - (a) maintaining and administering computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software and all configurations; (b) recommending changes to improve systems and network configurations, and determining hardware or software requirements related to such changes; (c) diagnosing hardware and software problems; (d) performing data backups and disaster recovery operations; (e) operating master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks, and to coordinate computer network access and use. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Network administrator - Systems administrator (computers) Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Database administrator - 2521 - Network analyst - 2523 - Webmaster - 3514 - Website administrator - 3514 - Website technician - 3514

Most of the tasks are affected. It ranks 403 of 427 for holding up against AI.

Also known as

  • ICT system administrator

Job titles from the EU's ESCO list. Search for any of them on the jobs page and you'll end up here.

43.4
Holds up
against AI Exposed: Gradient 3

AI could take on 56.6 of 100, on average
so it holds up at 100 − 56.6 = 43.4

That's the whole sum, and you can check it against the ILO's study.

23.3
How hands-on
out of 100

From O*NET, matched to one US job

29.2
How fiddly
and cramped

finger skill 37.4 · hand skill 30.3 · cramped spaces 20 · averaged

Kind of hands-on work · hands-on under 50 Less than half hands-on

Less than half of this job is hands-on. Robots still matter, but for a smaller part of the work, so we don't sort it any further.

estimated O*NET 31.0 BLS occupational crosswalk chain ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC (Aug 2012, rev. Jun 2015); 2010 to 2018 SOC (Nov 2017); O*NET-SOC 2019 taxonomy data 0.7-work-setting measures chosen by Frey & Osborne (2017) · the grouping is a sorting, not a measurement

What this number leaves out This job rates 23.3 out of 100 for how hands-on it is. The score above only looks at AI tools, not robots, but for work this far from the physical that matters less.

The tasks behind the score

The score is the average of these. A job is really a bundle of tasks, and an average can hide how uneven that bundle is.

The task AI could do most of scores 61, while the average is 56.6. A big gap means some of this job is wide open to AI and some of it barely at all. That's quite different from a job where everything sits somewhere in the middle, even when the averages match.

  1. 61

    Recommending changes to improve systems and network configurations, and determining hardware or software requirements related to such changes

    Medium
  2. 58.5

    Maintaining and administering computer networks and related computing environments including computer hardware, systems software, applications software and all configurations

    Medium
  3. 58.5

    Operating master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks, and to coordinate computer network access and use.

    Medium
  4. 57.5

    Performing data backups and disaster recovery operations

    Medium
  5. 47.5

    Diagnosing hardware and software problems

    Low

5 tasks · the High to Very Low labels are the ILO's

from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.7-work-setting

Helped, or replaced?

The score above can't tell a tool that makes you faster from one that does the task instead of you. Jobs and Skills Australia looked at those two things separately, and this is their result, matched to this job.

2 Australian jobs match this one, and we've simply averaged them. Treat the numbers as a rough guide.

AI helps you
71
AI does it for you
46.5

Helping wins by 24.5 points.

estimated Our Gen AI Transition (Gen AI Capacity Study) September 2025 detailed data release data 0.7-work-setting matched to Australian jobs 2621, 2631

Compared with similar jobs

There are 92 jobs in the “Professionals” group, averaging 61.5. This one is below that.