DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
47-2061 Construction Laborers
Occupational Description:
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. Construction laborers who primarily assist a particular craft worker are classified under "Helpers, Construction Trades" (47-3010). Excludes “Hazardous Materials Removal Workers” (47-4041).| Percentiles | |||||||||
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| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Southwest Balance of State | 520 | 83 | $15.15/hr | $0.48/hr | $11.91/hr | $12.82/hr | $14.33/hr | $16.98/hr | $19.33/hr |
| Minnesota | 7,440 | 588 | $20.48/hr | $0.57/hr | $12.36/hr | $14.73/hr | $19.09/hr | $25.81/hr | $32.30/hr |
| U S | 814,470 | 6,516 | $16.74/hr | $0.07/hr | $9.24/hr | $11.28/hr | $14.56/hr | $20.02/hr | $28.34/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change - | |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | 410 | $19.40/hr | N/A |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | N/A | $19.48/hr | N/A |
Tasks for Construction Laborers
- Tends pumps, compressors, and generators to provide power for tools, machinery, and equipment or to heat and move materials such as asphalt.
- Positions, joins, aligns, and seals structural components, such as concrete wall sections and pipes.
- Digs ditches and levels earth to grade specifications, using pick and shovel.
- Signals equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, and adjustment of machinery, equipment, and materials.
- Builds and positions forms for pouring concrete and dismantles forms after use, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
- Grinds, scrapes, sands, or polishes surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
- Erects and disassembles scaffolding, shoring, braces, and other temporary structures.
- Mixes concrete, using portable mixer.
- Loads and unloads trucks and hauls and hoists materials.
- Measures, marks, and records openings and distances to lay out area to be graded or to erect building structures.
- Smooth and finishes freshly poured cement or concrete, using float, trowel, screed, or powered cement finishing tool.
- Applies caulking compounds by hand or with caulking gun to seal crevices.
- Tends machine that pumps concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster or stucco through spray-gun for application to ceilings and walls.
- Lubricates, cleans, and repairs machinery, equipment, and tools.
- Sprays materials such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco through hose to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
- Razes buildings and salvages useful materials.
- Mixes ingredients to create compounds, used to cover or clean surfaces.
- Cleans construction site to eliminate possible hazards.
- Mops, brushes, or spreads paints, cleaning solutions or other compounds over surfaces to clean or provide protection.