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.
Construction labour responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real construction labour resumes:
- 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.
- Used industry tools such as blow torches.
- Work part-time on AutoCAD to design store layouts.
- Prepare shop drawings and construction details using AutoCAD.
- Assist finishers until slab has been hand trial / finish.
- Perform tasks including wiring, plumbing, mowing grass, landscaping.
- Burn, cut, demo, and removal of steel construction steel structures.
- Help do construction work on new building including, plumbing, painting, dry wall, carpentry, tile & electrical
- Float and tape and texture Sheetrock, install and repair roofs, laying and removing tile.
- Dig trenches to desire or require depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
Construction labour skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Construction Labours are proficient in Hand Tools, Asphalt, and Demolition. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Mechanical skills, and Color vision.
We break down the percentage of Construction Labours that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Hand Tools, 13%
Used hand tools such as jackhammers, concrete vibrators, diamond cutting saws for cutting concrete, and other hand tools.
- Asphalt, 6%
Repaired highway and residential neighborhood roadways for prepared asphalt mixes.
- Demolition, 6%
Worked on construction crews on demolition projects removing asbestos and all heavy demolition duties on construction sites including operating equipment.
- Ladders, 5%
Used ladders, cob blasters, staple guns etc Accomplishments Learned a lot being on I had no previous job experience.
- Scaffolding, 5%
Erected and disassembled scaffolding, loaded and unloaded, distributed materials to appropriate location and assisted tradesmen.
- OSHA, 4%
Use all basic hand tools-Tape Measure-String Line-Level-Chop saw*Run some small equipment*Follows all safety procedures*Follow all OSHA requirements*Wears all appropriate PPE
Most construction labours use their skills in "hand tools," "asphalt," and "demolition" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential construction labour responsibilities here:
Math skills. The most essential soft skill for a construction labour to carry out their responsibilities is math skills. This skill is important for the role because "construction laborers and some helpers need to perform basic math calculations while measuring on jobsites or assisting a surveying crew." Additionally, a construction labour resume shows how their duties depend on math skills: "use math and hand tools, read blueprints. "
Mechanical skills. Another essential skill to perform construction labour duties is mechanical skills. Construction labours responsibilities require that "construction laborers are frequently required to operate and maintain equipment, such as jackhammers." Construction labours also use mechanical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "operated hand and power tools of all types, used smallmechanical hoists, measuring equipment, and erected scaffolding. "
Color vision. This is an important skill for construction labours to perform their duties. For an example of how construction labour responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "construction laborers and helpers may need to be able to distinguish colors to do their job." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a construction labour: "performed physical labor at various construction jobs gaining skills and knowledge in the field of construction under professional supervision. ".
Physical stamina. For certain construction labour responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a construction labour rely on this skill, as "construction laborers and helpers must have the endurance to perform strenuous tasks throughout the day." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what construction labours do: "demonstrate physical strength, stamina, attention to safety, heavy equipment operation knowledge, and teamwork. "
Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a construction labour to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what construction labours relies on this skill, since "construction laborers and helpers must often lift heavy materials or equipment." How this skill relates to construction labour duties can be seen in an example from a construction labour resume snippet: "strengthened and improved roofing skills formulated more efficient work for crew members and i assembled and operated various types of equipment"
The three companies that hire the most construction labours are:
- PeopleReady247 construction labours jobs
- Installed Building Products150 construction labours jobs
- Aerotek110 construction labours jobs
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Compare different construction labours
Construction labour vs. Trades helper
As a Trades Helper, your duties will include obtaining parts and equipment for supervising tradesmen. You will have to carry out some complex routine tasks involving the use of machinery and equipment. You will be required to also carry out maintenance of the machinery and equipment that are not so complex such as boilers and automobiles. In some cases, you may have to attend to repairs of fixtures and equipment and also perform routine checkups.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a construction labour are more likely to require skills like "asphalt," "demolition," "work ethic," and "physical labor." On the other hand, a job as a trades helper requires skills like "dexterity," "plumbing," "loaders," and "safety equipment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, trades helpers reach similar levels of education than construction labours. Trades helpers are 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Construction labour vs. Helper/apprentice
Helpers/apprentices are skilled employees who are responsible for performing various tasks that are related to the construction industry while learning the trade from a skilled employer. These employees must assist skilled tradesmen by performing general construction duties while following the rules and safety regulations of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). They must gain experience in the electrical field and assist HVAC contractors in repairing and maintaining air conditioning equipment. Helpers/apprentices must also learn how to use different power and hand tools properly.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real construction labour resumes. While construction labour responsibilities can utilize skills like "asphalt," "demolition," "ladders," and "scaffolding," helper/apprentices use skills like "general construction," "plumbing," "pvc," and "service calls."
On average, helper/apprentices earn a lower salary than construction labours. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, helper/apprentices earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $35,929. Whereas construction labours have higher pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $35,234.helper/apprentices earn similar levels of education than construction labours in general. They're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Construction labour vs. Carpentry and masonry specialist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from construction labour resumes include skills like "hand tools," "asphalt," "demolition," and "ladders," whereas a carpentry and masonry specialist is more likely to list skills in "control tests," "math," "structural steel," and "individual training. "
When it comes to education, carpentry and masonry specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to construction labours. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Construction labour vs. Form setter
Types of construction labour
Updated January 8, 2025
