Career Profile: Construction Laborers

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 1,358,400 people employed as construction laborers in the United States. The median annual salary is $37,770. Entry level employees earn approximately $28,820 per year and senior employees earn approximately $70,310 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Perform construction laborer duties at green building sites, such as renewable energy plants or wind turbine installations.
• Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
• Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
• Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
• Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.
• Operate or maintain air monitoring or other sampling devices in confined or hazardous environments.
• Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
• Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement.
• Apply caulking compounds by hand or caulking guns to protect against entry of water or air.
• Tend machines that pump concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster, or stucco through spray guns for application to ceilings or walls.
• Identify, pack, or transport hazardous or radioactive materials.
• Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
• Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
• Smooth or finish freshly poured cement or concrete, using floats, trowels, screeds, or powered cement finishing tools.
• Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
• Provide assistance to craft workers, such as carpenters, plasterers, or masons.
• Perform building weatherization tasks, such as repairing windows, adding insulation, or applying weather-stripping materials.
• Apply weather-stripping to reduce energy loss.
• Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
• Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
• Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
• Position or dismantle forms for pouring concrete, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
• Grind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
• Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
• Mix ingredients to create compounds for covering or cleaning surfaces.
• Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
• Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
• Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
• Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
• Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
• Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
• Use computers or other input devices to control robotic pipe cutters or cleaners.

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