Scaffold builder vs ship erector

The differences between scaffold builders and ship erectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a scaffold builder and a ship erector. Additionally, a ship erector has an average salary of $43,889, which is higher than the $35,560 average annual salary of a scaffold builder.

The top three skills for a scaffold builder include scaffolding, ladders and construction sites. The most important skills for a ship erector are scaffolding, OSHA, and safety rules.

Scaffold builder vs ship erector overview

	Scaffold Builder	Ship Erector
Yearly salary	$35,560	$43,889
Hourly rate	$17.10	$21.10
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	2,883	6,795
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Scaffold builder vs ship erector salary

Scaffold builders and ship erectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scaffold Builder	Ship Erector
Average salary	$35,560	$43,889
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $50,000	Between $26,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between scaffold builder and ship erector education

There are a few differences between a scaffold builder and a ship erector in terms of educational background:

	Scaffold Builder	Ship Erector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Scaffold builder vs ship erector demographics

Here are the differences between scaffold builders' and ship erectors' demographics:

	Scaffold Builder	Ship Erector
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3%	Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 30.1% Asian, 1.6% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 1.6% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between scaffold builder and ship erector duties and responsibilities

Scaffold builder example responsibilities.

Modify existing client websites with new HTML and CSS to achieve stakeholder requirements.
Dig ditches, backfill excavations.
Wear proper PPE for particular jobs (safety harness, SCBA, respirators, acid suits, etc . )
Assemble and disassemble metal scaffolding use by workers in petroleum refinery turnarounds and shutdowns (industrial maintenance-repair projects).
Skil dock building including pile driving and woodworking.
Front end loaders and excavators and shallow draft tugboats.

Ship erector example responsibilities.

Perform duties as a structural welder using SMAW, and FCAW.
Work with crew members to force steel parts into final position with turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, etc.
Install various aluminum structures and foundations.
Identify and request any and all PPE necessary to performtasks.calculate accurate material estimates.
Operate lull and crane lifts.
Install various aluminum structures and foundations.

Scaffold builder vs ship erector skills

Common scaffold builder skills

Scaffolding, 30%
Ladders, 15%
Construction Sites, 7%
NCCER, 5%
Safety Rules, 4%
Power Drills, 3%

Common ship erector skills

Scaffolding, 34%
OSHA, 19%
Safety Rules, 13%
Construction Sites, 5%
Blueprint Specifications, 3%
Fall Protection, 3%

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse construction and extraction jobs