Construction Trades Workers
Construction trades workers build, install, repair, and maintain the physical structures and surfaces that form our built environment. These skilled professionals work on construction sites, in buildings, and on infrastructure projects, using specialized tools and equipment to work with materials like concrete, stone, wood, metal, and various flooring and wall coverings. Their work ranges from operating heavy machinery and laying foundations to installing flooring, finishing surfaces, and constructing walls and structural frameworks.
π¬Career Video
π€AI Resilience Assessment
AI Resilience Score
Score 3/6: low AI task exposure, declining job demand means AI will assist but humans remain essential
How we calculated this:
3% of tasks can be accelerated by AI
-2% projected (2024-2034)
EPOCH score: 13/25
πKey Responsibilities
- β’Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
- β’Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
- β’Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
- β’Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
- β’Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
- β’Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
- β’Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- β’Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.
π‘Inside This Career
Construction trades workers begin their days early, often arriving at job sites before sunrise to maximize daylight hours and coordinate with other crews. The morning typically starts with safety briefings, reviewing blueprints or specifications, and preparing tools and materials for the day's tasks. Whether working on residential homes, commercial buildings, or industrial facilities, these professionals spend the majority of their time engaged in hands-on fabrication, installation, and finishing work. They might be laying brick for a new school, installing flooring in an office complex, operating heavy equipment for road construction, or performing precision stonework on a historic restoration project.
The work varies significantly throughout the day and across different projects. Some trades workers focus on structural elements, building the bones of construction projects through concrete work, framing, or heavy equipment operation. Others specialize in finishing touches, carefully installing tiles, sanding floors to perfection, or applying final surface treatments. Many projects require close collaboration between different specializationsβa commercial building might have cement masons pouring foundations while carpenters frame walls nearby, followed by drywall installers and tapers creating smooth interior surfaces.
Construction trades workers adapt to diverse environments, from indoor climate-controlled spaces to outdoor job sites in varying weather conditions. They problem-solve throughout the day, adjusting techniques based on material conditions, architectural challenges, or unexpected obstacles. Physical stamina and attention to detail remain constant requirements, whether operating machinery, measuring and cutting materials, or performing the repetitive precision work that ensures structural integrity and aesthetic quality in the built environment.
πCareer Progression
What does this mean?
This shows how earnings typically grow with experience. Entry level represents starting salaries, while Expert shows top earners (90th percentile). Most workers reach mid-career earnings within 5-10 years. Figures are national averages and vary by location and employer.
πEducation & Training
Requirements
- β’Entry Education: High school diploma or equivalent
- β’Experience: Some experience helpful
- β’On-the-job Training: Few months to one year
Time & Cost
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Find jobs and training programs for construction trades workers- Median salary: $51K/year
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π»Technology Skills
βKey Abilities
π·οΈAlso Known As
πSpecializations
This career includes 16 specialized roles with different focuses and compensation levels.
| Specialization | Median Pay | AI Outlook | O*NET Code | Find Jobs | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $71,140 | π‘ | 47-2011.00 | View details | ||
| $63,550 | π‘ | 47-2072.00 | View details | ||
| $63,350 | π‘ | 47-2082.00 | View details | ||
| $59,640 | π‘ | 47-2021.00 | View details | ||
| $56,350 | π‘ | 47-2031.00 | View details |
πRelated Careers
Other careers in construction
πData Sources
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