The number of construction jobs in the United States is expected to rise by 10 percent between 2018 and 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction workers perform a variety of jobs on construction sites, where they often help to build buildings, roads, bridges and other structures.
Tasks
Some of the tasks that construction workers may perform include running devices that are used to apply grout, cement, concrete, sand, plaster, paint and other substances to buildings; cleaning and getting rid of materials on construction sites; transporting, loading and unloading materials; helping to repair and wreck structures; using tools to build or deconstruct buildings; helping to install electrical, plumbing, heating and/or cooling systems inside a building structure; ordering supplies; putting in flooring and/or assisting with masonry tasks.
Skill Set
Construction workers need to know how to operate a variety of simple and more complex tools and machines and work with different building materials. They also need to have basic or more advanced math skills; knowledge of design, chemistry and physics principles and laws relating to construction; the ability to lift heavy materials and understand written and oral instructions and/or basic or more advanced communication skills.
Pay
Construction workers made an average hourly wage of $17.83 an hour in May 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Work Hours
Many construction workers maintain a 40-hour week, working on different job sites for certain periods of time, but some only work during certain seasons of the year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Careerplanner.com.
Work Environment
Construction workers often have to work in loud environments, around dangerous materials, in different types of weather.
