Also called: General Laborer
Does the physical work on job sites: digging, carrying materials, cleaning, and helping skilled trades.
You might set up safety fencing, dig a trench, unload pallets of block, and help pour concrete. It is a hard workout and a fast way to learn which trade you want to join.
Union laborers in big cities earn much more.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No formal education; on-the-job training. A union laborers' apprenticeship pays while you learn.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Construction Laborer (apprenticeship).
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). BLS projection; strong demand.
Low risk for 10 years. Robots lay some brick and drill ceilings, but carrying, digging and helping trades on messy sites stays human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to contractors, staffing agencies or the laborers' union hall; OSHA 10 helps
Classes: Construction CTE, Weight training, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2061.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.