Construction and Extraction
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.
Also called: Bituminous Asphalt Technician, Construction Laborer, Construction Worker, Drop Crew Laborer, Equipment Operator (EO), Form Setter
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $63,420
- $30.49/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 11,580
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +9.5%
- 2,060 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- No formal educational credential
- plus Short-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $46,460 | $54,540 | $63,420 | $93,830 | $99,410 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
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.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure5 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 3
- Language-model AIOE 4
- GPTs-are-GPTs 7
Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure is lower, though observed AI use is at some level. AI tools or digital tools may help with reading plans and measuring layouts. They do not do the heavy labor, run machines on site, or signal equipment operators. The job stays centered on physical work and teamwork on site.
Likely to change
- Reading plans and specifications
- Measuring and recording layout details
Still relies on people
- Operating tools and tending equipment on site
- Signaling operators and working with crews
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Reading plans and checking measurements carry over. This trade pays a Boston median of $120,840 and is learned through an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- +$57,420 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Brickmasons and Blockmasons
Your layout and measuring experience builds toward masonry. It pays a Boston median of $96,960 and is learned through an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- +$33,540 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Roofers
Site experience and comfort with tools help in roofing. It pays a Boston median of $66,350 and needs no formal credential.
- Pay difference
- +$2,930 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +7.7%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Who employs construction laborers on Boston construction projects
Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed construction laborers, not who has openings.
3,115,546 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Laborer).
- 23.7%
- of hours by boston residents
- 53.6%
- of hours by people of color
- 8.9%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turner Construction Co. | 228,357 | 30.6% | 4 |
| Starlite Building Services | 203,904 | 16.6% | 4 |
| Liberty Construction Services | 168,791 | 35.6% | 6 |
| Riggs Contracting, Inc. | 167,678 | 23.5% | 13 |
| G&C Concrete | 162,066 | 16.5% | 19 |
| Grande Masonry, Llc | 108,884 | 17.0% | 6 |
| Brightview Landscape Development | 72,895 | 11.4% | 8 |
| S & F Concrete | 68,290 | 23.7% | 19 |
Related occupations
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Pipelayers
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
- Carpenters
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach