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The differences between general 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 general foreman, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $48,517 average annual salary of a general foreman.
The top three skills for a general foreman include safety procedures, OSHA and safety rules. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| General Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $48,517 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $23.33 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | -3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 49,875 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Using their knowledge and expertise of all construction disciplines, a general foreman plans and oversees operations within a construction site to ensure that everything is running smoothly. They are typically in charge of conducting regular inspections, coordinating with engineers and architects, managing the budget and expenditures, supervising workers, and ensuring that the project moves according to the desired time frame. Furthermore, a general foreman implements all safety regulations and policies to ensure a safe and productive work environment for everyone.
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.
General foremen and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $48,517 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $62,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saint Louis, MO | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Pacifi | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a general foreman and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| General 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 general foremen' and supervisors' demographics:
| General Foreman | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 1.4% White, 66.4% 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% |