What does a carpenter/labour do?
Carpenters/ Laborers do general maintenance tasks and help in mechanical and carpentry-related jobs. Carpenters are versatile workers and perform different construction duties. They construct, install, erect, and repair structures and fixtures. Blueprints and building plans are followed by carpenters to meet their customer's needs. Typically, they install structures and fixtures like windows and molding. They also construct building frameworks like floors, walls, and door frames. Additionally, they operate forklifts, wheel loaders, skid steers, and similar equipment. Qualified applicants need manual dexterity, a good sense of balance as well as hand-eye coordination and must be physically fit.
Carpenter/labour responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real carpenter/labour resumes:
- Perform rough carpentry tasks utilizing basic carpentry tools including framing and roofing.
- Concrete laborer, finish concrete, operate equipment, door hardware, concrete demo
- Skil carpentry such as framing houses decking whole houses.AL do residential and commercial HVAC duct work.
- Patch sheetrock, tape and floating after install, lastly put on texture either spray or knock down for beautiful look.
- Remodel work framing sheetrock electrical plumbing
- Frame houses roofing flooring siding concrete some electrical
- General demo and renovation of residential properties.
- Determine amount of materials identify appropriate construction locations and transport scaffolding materials.
- Assist with monitoring the use of personal protective equipment or PPE requirements.
- Finish protection, street space permits, scaffold erection, site security, stocking of equipment, material and PPE.
- Mix and pour concrete and asphalt, level concrete and earth using trowels and shovels, and remove debris.
- Paint interiors using spray guns, brushes, and rollers; used shovels to dig trenches and level soil and gravel.
- Advance knowledge of architectural millwork.
- Provide leadership on the restoration of residential and commercial properties.
- Participate in process improvement and strategic planning initiatives with leadership team.
Carpenter/labour skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Carpenter/Labours are proficient in Roofing, Safety Rules, and Drywall Installation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Detail oriented, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Carpenter/Labours that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Roofing, 18%
Repair and maintained Rental and Property Homes General Labor Demolition Assemble Appliance Pressure Washing Roofing
- Safety Rules, 10%
Follow established safety rules and regulations to clean work areas, machinery, or equipment to maintain a safe job site.
- Drywall Installation, 10%
Involved in concrete pours, tiling, hard wood flooring installation, finish carpentry, painting, and drywall installation.
- Door Installation, 6%
Garage door installation, associated carpentry and electrical work.
- Sheetrock, 5%
General Construction-Demo and Remodel, Framing, Sheetrock, Laminate Floating Floors and Ceramic Tile
- Tape Measure, 5%
Used a variety of hand tools, including a hammer, speed square, and a tape measure.
Common skills that a carpenter/labour uses to do their job include "roofing," "safety rules," and "drywall installation." You can find details on the most important carpenter/labour responsibilities below.
Business skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a carpenter/labour to have is business skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "self-employed carpenters must conduct activities such as bidding on new jobs, tracking inventory, and directing workers." Carpenter/labours often use business skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "general carpentry includes painting, drywall, caulking, electric wiring (home and business). "
Detail oriented. Many carpenter/labour duties rely on detail oriented. "carpenters must be able to precisely cut, measure, and modify the materials they work with.," so a carpenter/labour will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways carpenter/labour responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "framed houses detail and finishing work; trim work, painting, roofing supplies and tool maintenance"
Dexterity. This is an important skill for carpenter/labours to perform their duties. For an example of how carpenter/labour responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "carpenters use many tools and need hand-eye coordination to avoid injuring themselves or damaging materials." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a carpenter/labour: "lift truck operator, rough carpentry, light welding. ".
Math skills. For certain carpenter/labour responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a carpenter/labour rely on this skill, as "carpenters frequently use math skills, including basic trigonometry, to calculate the area, size, and amount of material needed for the job. ." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what carpenter/labours do: "accomplishmentshelped finish a new car dealer ship.skills usedbasic mathematics. "
Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a carpenter/labour to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what carpenter/labours relies on this skill, since "carpenters use heavy tools and materials that weigh up to 100 pounds." How this skill relates to carpenter/labour duties can be seen in an example from a carpenter/labour resume snippet: "perform tasks involving physical labor at buildings and heavy contraction project. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on carpenter/labour job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in carpenter/labour duties, since "carpenters may work independently with little guidance." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day carpenter/labour responsibilities: "completed elevated and sloped decks using doka's unique formwork solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most carpenter/labours are:
- TPI25 carpenter/labours jobs
- Aerotek7 carpenter/labours jobs
- AGC of Texas7 carpenter/labours jobs
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Compare different carpenter/labours
Carpenter/labour vs. Journeyman ironworker
A construction foreman is responsible for overseeing construction operations and determining the construction progress by monitoring plans and schedules. A construction foreman allocates tasks to the workers and ensures that everyone adheres to the safety guidelines and regulations, preventing potential hazards in the work area and avoiding construction delays. They also identify cost-reduction opportunities by handling negotiation with trusted suppliers and third-party vendors. A construction foreman inspects the quality of materials, including the equipment and machinery, allocates adequate resources for production, and resolves issues immediately.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, carpenter/labour responsibilities require skills like "roofing," "safety rules," "drywall installation," and "door installation." Meanwhile a typical journeyman ironworker has skills in areas such as "cranes," "bars," "hoisting," and "rebar." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, journeyman ironworkers reach similar levels of education than carpenter/labours. Journeyman ironworkers are 1.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Carpenter/labour vs. Construction foreman
A mason is responsible for shaping artificial mineral products, concrete blocks, stone pieces, and bricks to create structures essential for construction or other building purposes using various machinery and equipment, following the highest safety standards and production procedures. Masons analyze schematics and blueprints, applying the clients' specifications and customization to their product expertise. They also inspect tools and equipment, ensuring that the materials are free from any defects to avoid hazards and construction delays.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, carpenter/labour responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "drywall installation," "door installation," "sheetrock," and "tape measure." Meanwhile, a construction foreman has duties that require skills in areas such as "work ethic," "cdl," "osha," and "strong work ethic." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, construction foremen earn a higher salary than carpenter/labours. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, construction foremen earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $62,811. Whereas carpenter/labours have higher pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $42,011.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Construction foremen tend to reach similar levels of education than carpenter/labours. In fact, they're 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Carpenter/labour vs. Mason
A construction assistant performs various clerical and operational support tasks to assist construction managers and maintain smooth workflow operations. Their responsibilities usually include monitoring budgets and costs, handling calls and correspondence, purchasing construction materials according to project requirements, liaising with suppliers and construction contractors, and participating in managing the schedules and activities of the workers. A construction assistant may also perform inspections to identify problem areas and ensure that all procedures adhere to the safety codes and standards.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a carpenter/labour is likely to be skilled in "roofing," "safety rules," "drywall installation," and "door installation," while a typical mason is skilled in "scaffolding," "safety regulations," "dump truck," and "windows."
Most masons achieve a similar degree level compared to carpenter/labours. For example, they're 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Carpenter/labour vs. Construction assistant
Types of carpenter/labour
Updated January 8, 2025
