Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, growing
Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles
Apply blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 92% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +9.0% 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)
- $56,460
- Job growth to 2035
- +9.0%
- Openings a year
- 2,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 29,800
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Gather data about operational or development activities
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
- Apply decorative finishes
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Perform general construction or extraction activities
- Cut materials
- Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections
What the work looks like
- Cut covering and foundation materials, according to blueprints and sketches.
- Trim excess covering materials, tack edges, and join sections of covering material to form tight joint.
- Cut flooring material to fit around obstructions.
- Roll and press sheet wall and floor covering into cement base to smooth and finish surface, using hand roller.
- Lay out, position, and apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors, walls, and cabinets, following guidelines to keep courses straight and create designs.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as more consumers choose resilient floor coverings.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleanersHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +7.8%
- Construction laborersHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +7.3%
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plasticHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +5.8%
- Recreational vehicle service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +9.7%
Also known as: Floor Coverings Installer, Floor Layer, Flooring Installer, Flooring Mechanic, Floor Covering Contractor, Floor Installer, Tile Installer, Tile Setter.
Is this career on your child's list?
Build a free Career Playbook matched to your child, or get a 90-day Action Plan with dated next steps, written for your child by name.
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.