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Date: 02/09/2025

Construction Laborers

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
    • Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement.
    • 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.
    • Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
    • Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
    • Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
    • Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
    • Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
    • Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
    • Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
    • Apply caulking compounds by hand or caulking guns to protect against entry of water or air.
    • Tend machines that pump concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster, or stucco through spray guns for application to ceilings or walls.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
    • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
    • Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
    • Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
    • Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
    • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
    • Grind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
    • Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
    • Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
    • Provide assistance to craft workers, such as carpenters, plasterers, or masons.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
    • Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
    • Mix ingredients to create compounds for covering or cleaning surfaces.
    • Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
    • Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
    • Operate or maintain air monitoring or other sampling devices in confined or hazardous environments.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
    • 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.
    • Smooth or finish freshly poured cement or concrete, using floats, trowels, screeds, or powered cement finishing tools.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
    • Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
    • Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.
    • Position or dismantle forms for pouring concrete, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.

    Skills

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 48670/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 23.4/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 46,780
    • Yearly Projected Openings 4100

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Adjustable forks
    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air compressors
    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Asphalt finishers
    • Axes
    • Bandsaw wheel
    • Belt conveyors
    • Bituminous material distributors
    • Blades or tooth or other cutting edges
    • Blow torch
    • Boring or sinking machinery
    • Burners
    • Calipers
    • Caulking guns
    • Cement pumping units
    • Chip Spreaders
    • Cold chisels
    • Combination pliers
    • Compactors
    • Concrete mixers or plants
    • Concrete spreaders
    • Coring equipment
    • Demolition equipment kits
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Drain or pipe cleaning equipment
    • Drilling machines
    • Dump trucks
    • Explosive initiators
    • Floats
    • Forklifts
    • Gas detectors
    • Gas generators
    • Gin pole and accessories
    • Graders
    • Grinders
    • Hammer drills
    • Hammers
    • Hand sprayers
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hazardous material protective apparel
    • Hoes
    • Hoists
    • Hole saws
    • Hydraulic rock drills
    • Hydraulic truck cranes
    • Impact hammers
    • Impact wrenches
    • Instrument tripods
    • Kettle exchangers
    • Ladders
    • Laser measuring systems
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Level sensors or transmitters
    • Levels
    • Lifting hooks
    • Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Measuring rods
    • Measuring wheels for distance
    • Micrometers
    • Mowers
    • Mud pumps
    • Paint sprayers
    • Paving breakers
    • Picks
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Plumb bobs
    • Pneumatic drill
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Post hole digger
    • Power buggies
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power nail guns
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Power screwguns
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rakes
    • Remote reading thermometers
    • Respirators
    • Rollers
    • Rotary tiller mixers
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Saws
    • Scaffolding
    • Scarifiers
    • Scissor lift or lift table
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Shoring equipment
    • Shotcrete spraying equipment
    • Shovels
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Slings
    • Sludge or sewage handling trucks
    • Snowplow attachments
    • Space heaters
    • Spades
    • Sprayers
    • Squares
    • Staple guns
    • Stonemason hammer
    • Tampers
    • Tape measures
    • Theodolites
    • Threading taps
    • Tongs
    • Track loaders
    • Trenching machines
    • Trowels
    • Two way radios
    • Vacuum cleaners
    • Vibratory plates
    • Water samplers
    • Water trucks
    • Welding masks
    • Wheel loaders
    • Winches
    • Wire and cable pulling device

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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    The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

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