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Construction Laborers

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth
  • Numerous Job Openings

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.

What you’d do

  • Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
  • Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
  • Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
  • Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
  • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
  • Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
  • Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
  • Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.

Skills that matter

  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Coordination
  • Operation and Control
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Complex Problem Solving

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Construction Laborer
  • Construction Worker
  • Equipment Operator (EO)
  • Post Framer
  • Bituminous Asphalt Technician
  • Drop Crew Laborer

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