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Construction labour vs construction assistant

The differences between construction labours and construction assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a construction assistant has an average salary of $39,072, which is higher than the $32,628 average annual salary of a construction labour.

The top three skills for a construction labour include hand tools, asphalt and demolition. The most important skills for a construction assistant are safety procedures, construction projects, and general contractors.

Construction labour vs construction assistant overview

Construction LabourConstruction Assistant
Yearly salary$32,628$39,072
Hourly rate$15.69$18.78
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs48,91431,209
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age3939
Years of experience--

What does a construction labour do?

When it comes to Construction Labour, responsibilities will always revolve around physical work on construction sites. Most of the tasks will vary daily, depending on what kind of structure is required. Still, mostly it will involve following instructions and guidelines while working as a team, assembling and disassembling materials, cleaning certain areas and removing debris, building temporary structures such as scaffolding, lifting heavy objects, and even climbing high places. Furthermore, one must also operate construction devices such as mixers and grills.

What does a construction assistant do?

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.

Construction labour vs construction assistant salary

Construction labours and construction assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Construction LabourConstruction Assistant
Average salary$32,628$39,072
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $43,000Between $28,000 And $54,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSpringfield, MA
Highest paying stateHawaiiHawaii
Best paying companyHill InternationalBeazer Homes
Best paying industryConstructionConstruction

Differences between construction labour and construction assistant education

There are a few differences between a construction labour and a construction assistant in terms of educational background:

Construction LabourConstruction Assistant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Construction labour vs construction assistant demographics

Here are the differences between construction labours' and construction assistants' demographics:

Construction LabourConstruction Assistant
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 93.6% Female, 6.4%Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.9% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 30.8% Asian, 2.4% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between construction labour and construction assistant duties and responsibilities

Construction labour example responsibilities.

  • Operate hand and power tools, air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, and small mechanical hoists.
  • Operate hand and power tools of all types: chain see, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists.
  • Clean and prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, and rakes.
  • Work on bobcat and excavation equipment; drive heavy trucks - no CDL.
  • Clean and prepare sites, dig trenches and set braces to support the sides of excavations.
  • Clean grounds, using rakes, brooms and hoses.
  • Show more

Construction assistant example responsibilities.

  • Fix electrical fixtures and manage plumbing problems effectively.
  • Employ a wide verity of hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments and electronic testing devices.
  • Negotiate material sales contracts, document historical information, provide earned value management, and safety oversight for projects/programs.
  • Prepare plans and specifications for new and existing housing, supervise sub-contractors to insure compliance with HUD requirements.

Construction labour vs construction assistant skills

Common construction labour skills
  • Hand Tools, 13%
  • Asphalt, 6%
  • Demolition, 6%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Scaffolding, 5%
  • OSHA, 4%
Common construction assistant skills
  • Safety Procedures, 15%
  • Construction Projects, 11%
  • General Contractors, 7%
  • Drywall Installation, 7%
  • Equipment Operators, 4%
  • Manual Labor, 4%

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