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Career

Construction Laborers

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $47,120 Median per year · $22.66/hr Most earn $35,090–$78,090

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
  • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
  • Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
  • Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
  • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
  • Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth; Numerous Job Openings

United States
7% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 120,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Self-employed (their own business)26.9%
  • Other specialty trade contractors12.3%
  • Residential building construction10.2%
  • Nonresidential building construction8.0%
  • Highway, street, and bridge construction6.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. You can often start right after high school, and most people learn the core skills on the job within about 1 to 3 months.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school is the typical requirement and gives you the basic math, reading, and shop skills that job sites expect.

  2. Construction Laborer

    1-3 months to learn the basics on the job

    You learn to use hand and power tools, prepare sites, dig trenches, and help skilled crafts workers while you build a reliable work record.

Where it can lead

  1. Concrete Finisher

    3-6 months as a construction laborer of experience first

    You move into concrete work, learning to pour, level, and finish concrete surfaces, usually by working alongside experienced cement masons.

  2. Carpenter

    1-2 years of related work of experience first

    You learn to read plans, measure, and build with wood and other materials, often through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.

  3. Construction Equipment Operator

    2-4 years of related work of experience first

    You learn to run heavy machines like bulldozers and excavators, which takes more training and experience to operate safely.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, technical drawing, or woodworking classesThese classes teach you to use tools safely and to read basic plans, which are useful on any job site.
  • Take math classes, especially geometryMeasuring, angles, and calculating materials are part of everyday construction work.
  • Get a part-time or summer job doing yard work, moving, or helping at a hardware storeAny job that involves physical work and reliability shows employers you can handle a job site.
  • Volunteer with a community build, such as a Habitat for Humanity-style project or a local cleanupHands-on volunteering lets you practice using tools and working as part of a crew.
  • Join a career or trade club, like SkillsUSA or a school construction club, if your school has oneThese groups introduce you to trade careers and often offer hands-on practice and competitions.

In college

  • Take a construction management or building technology courseEven a few classes teach you about job site safety, materials, and how projects are planned.
  • Work a summer job on a construction crew or with a landscaping or moving companyReal site experience helps you learn the pace of the work and builds a résumé for future jobs.
  • Earn an OSHA 10-hour safety certificationMany employers want workers who already know basic site safety, and this certificate is often quick and affordable to get.
  • Get a campus job in facilities, maintenance, or groundsMaintenance work builds practical skills with tools and equipment that transfer well to construction.
  • Join a student trades or engineering clubThese groups connect you with people in the building industry and can lead to internships or job leads.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local construction company or staffing agency about entry-level laborer openings, and ask whether they offer on-the-job training.
  • Get comfortable with hard physical work and safety rules now, such as wearing protective gear and lifting correctly, since employers value workers who show up ready and safe.
  • Look into a basic safety certification, like OSHA 10-hour training, which many job sites ask for and which can make your application stand out.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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