Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, growing
Construction laborers
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 93% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +7.3% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $47,120
- Job growth to 2035
- +7.3%
- Openings a year
- 120,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 1.5 million
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
- Perform general construction or extraction activities
- Operate pumping systems or equipment
What the work looks like
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
- Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as more laborers will be needed for road and bridge repair work.
- More of these jobs, as construction laborers perform more tasks on construction sites related to the installation of prefabricated components.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Roustabouts, oil and gasHuman edge, growing, Index 95, +3.6%
- Solar photovoltaic installersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +36.5%
- Tree trimmers and prunersHuman edge, growing, Index 98, +4.2%
- Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +5.3%
Also known as: Construction Laborer, Construction Worker, Equipment Operator (EO), Post Framer, Bituminous Asphalt Technician, Drop Crew Laborer, Form Setter, Scaffolding Operator.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.