Construction Laborers
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-2061
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 47-2061 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 2.8%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 60/100
- High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $47,120
- H-1B offered wage $29,453; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 179,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +7.3%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 1
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 243,525 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
Locomotive Engineers
Skills to build:
Subway and Streetcar Operators
Skills to build:
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Skills to build:
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Bituminous Asphalt Technician, Construction Laborer, Construction Worker, Drop Crew Laborer, Equipment Operator (EO), Form Setter
Representative Tasks
- •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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate pumps or compressors.
- •Clean equipment or facilities.
- •Maintain construction tools or equipment.
- •Signal equipment operators to indicate proper equipment positioning.
- •Install plumbing or piping.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 70% Bright |
| Median Salary | $47,120 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 97/100 | N/A |