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The differences between construction foremen and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a construction foreman, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a construction foreman has an average salary of $57,121, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a construction foreman include work ethic, CDL and OSHA. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Construction Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $57,121 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $27.46 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | -3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 40,621 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Construction foremen and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Construction Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $57,121 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $77,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Repsol Energy North America Corporation | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a construction foreman and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Construction Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between construction foremen' and supervisors' demographics:
| Construction Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 1.5% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 6% |