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A construction worker is a worker employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure.
- The term construction worker can be used to cover a huge number of roles within the industry, but typically it refers to a someone who performs a variety of general construction tasks during all phases of a construction project.
- However, there are also those who specialize in certain areas, such as:
- Tearing down buildings
- Removing hazardous materials
- Building highways and roads
- Digging tunnels and mine shafts
- Laying concrete or asphalt
- Construction workers will use a variety of tools and equipment in their work, including simple tools such as brooms and shovels; other equipment is more sophisticated, such as pavement breakers, jackhammers, and surveying equipment.
By some definitions, workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers; they may be skilled tradespeople; or they may be supervisory or managerial personnel. Under safety legislation in the United Kingdom, for example, construction workers are defined as people "who work for or under the control of a contractor on a construction site"; in Canada, this can include people whose work includes ensuring conformance with building codes and regulations, and those who supervise other workers.
The term is a broad and generic one and most construction workers are primarily described by the specific level and type of work they perform. Laborers comprise a large grouping in most national construction industries. In the United States, for example, in May 2021 the construction sector employed just over 7.5 million people, of whom just over 820,000 were laborers, while 573,000 were carpenters, 508,000 were electricians, 258,000 were equipment operators and 230,000 were construction managers. Like most business sectors, there is also substantial white-collar employment in construction - 681,000 US workers were recorded by the United States Department of Labor as in 'office and administrative support occupations' in May 2021. In 2023 the United States reported that, of the total number of construction workers, 27.7%)% of workers were Hispanic and around 6.2% were women.
Construction workers can colloquially be referred to as "hard hat workers" or "hard hats", as they often wear hard hats for safety while working on construction sites.
Construction laborers and helpers perform tasks, such as using, supplying, or holding materials or tools and cleaning work areas and equipment, on construction sites. Most construction laborers and helpers work full time, and schedules may vary. Their jobs are often physically demanding and may require being outdoors in all weather conditions.