A commercial construction laborer keeps a builder-developer's job sites clean, stocked and safe to work on. They unload and move material, clear debris, help the company's crew and its subs with forms, block and finishes, and get each floor ready for the next trade or inspector.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Provide critical support to commercial building projects by assisting trades, managing materials, and maintaining clean work sites to ensure efficient project execution and a safe working environment.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist various trades and craftspeople on commercial building sites.
Handle, transport, and organize building materials efficiently.
Clean and prepare job sites to maintain safety and operational standards.
Support Site Supervisors with logistical and operational tasks.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Load and unload materials and supplies as required each day.
Regularly clean, organize, and prepare the work areas for upcoming tasks.
Act as a helper for tradespeople by providing tools and materials.
Safely dispose of waste and assist with minor on-site repairs.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time task completion rate: >95%.
Accuracy rate in inventory management: 98% or above.
Site cleanliness rating: >90%.
Material waste reduction: less than 5% per project cycle.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum 1 year of experience in a construction or labor-intensive role.
Basic understanding of construction materials and processes.
Ability to follow instructions and work effectively in a team.
Strong work ethic with excellent attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience on commercial building projects.
Familiarity with industrial or large-scale construction environments.
Demonstrated experience in material handling and site safety protocols.
Previous work experience with commercial developers or builders.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Prolonged periods of standing, bending, and climbing stairs.
Capacity to work in variable weather conditions, including hot, cold, or rainy environments.
Endurance to perform manual labor throughout the workday.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: 6 AM to 4 PM on weekdays.
Work is primarily performed on outdoor construction sites.
Some overtime may be required during peak project periods.
Minimal travel required within assigned project locations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate ranging from $18 to $25 per hour.
Overtime opportunities as applicable.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Eligibility for an annual performance bonus.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and innovative environment where every team member is valued.
Our commitment to safety, integrity, and quality excellence drives our daily work.
We offer ample opportunities for growth, training, and career advancement.
Join a team that celebrates success and encourages proactive problem-solving in a supportive atmosphere.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What a laborer does on a builder-developer's sites
Most of the trades on these sites are subs. The company's own laborers keep the site moving between them: material in the right place, debris out, and each area ready for the next crew or inspector.
No one goes in a trench before the daily check
Laborers help on utility and footing digs. Under OSHA's rule, the competent person inspects each dig before work each day and after rain, and pulls workers out at any sign of a cave-in. Trenches 5 feet or deeper need a protective system unless cut in stable rock. From 4 feet down, a ladder or other way out must be no more than 25 feet of travel away. Spoil and tools sit at least 2 feet from the lip, or behind a retaining device. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.651, excavation requirements.
Hole covers stay put
A cleanup crew is the likeliest to pick up a sheet of plywood that's really a hole cover. OSHA requires covers over floor and roof holes to be secured so they can't shift, and marked HOLE or COVER or color coded. It also requires fall protection for anyone working by an unprotected edge 6 feet or more above a lower level. Teach laborers never to lift a marked cover, and to tell the super about any open edge they find. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.502, fall protection criteria, including hole covers.
Debris goes down a chute or into a closed zone
Upper floors make a lot of scrap, and laborers move most of it. Under OSHA's waste rule, an enclosed chute is needed when scrap falls over 20 feet and lands outside the walls. Scrap dropped through a floor hole needs its landing spot fenced by barricades no lower than 42 inches, kept 6 feet or more outside the line of the opening, with signs on every floor. Nobody cleans up below until dropping stops. Oily rags and used solvent go in covered, fire-resistant cans. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.252, disposal of waste materials.
Clean for the inspector, then for the tenant
The company's finish line is a space a tenant can move into. Before a final inspection, laborers clear exits, stairs and corridors and pull debris from rooms so the inspector can see the work. Before the tenant's walk-through, they clean floors, glass and restrooms. A failed walk-through or a second inspection costs more than a day of cleanup.
Counting what comes off the truck
The template scores laborers on inventory accuracy because they unload most deliveries. A laborer counts pieces against the packing slip before the driver leaves, stacks material where the super marked, and tells the inventory specialist about shortages or damage the same day. Leftover material goes back to storage and gets logged, not tossed in the dumpster.
How much commercial construction laborers make
Construction laborers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $24.01 an hour ($49,940 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $47,120 median for construction laborers in all industries. About 118,700 of the 1,096,780 construction laborers in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
The template pays by the hour, with overtime and a yearly bonus. The BLS figure covers all construction laborers at commercial builders, and many of them have years on site and run tools. Expect a new helper to start under it and move up as they learn the forklift, saws and concrete work.
Commercial building contractors
$49,940$49,940 median Middle half $44,070–$63,490 10th–90th $36,780–$82,000
All industries
$47,120$47,120 median Middle half $38,620–$59,740 10th–90th $35,090–$78,090
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial building contractors
$36,780
$44,070
$49,940
$63,490
$82,000
All industries
$35,090
$38,620
$47,120
$59,740
$78,090
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial developers on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Is at the gate and ready when the 6 a.m. start comes
Takes the day's task list from the super and checks back before guessing
Moves material with dollies, carts and two-person lifts
Speaks up about hazards such as open edges or loose covers
Keeps a work area clean without being told
Teach these on the job
Commercial materials by name, from metal studs to block and storefront parts
Your drills, saws and concrete tools
Site rules for trenches, holes and edges
How each trade wants its material staged
Helper tasks for the company's own crew, such as stripping forms
Laborers use shovels, brooms, wheelbarrows, pallet jacks, dollies and hand tools, then drills, saws and concrete tools once trained. Tell applicants which boots, gloves and hard hat they need, which of those you hand out, and whether forklift or telehandler work comes later with training.
Commercial construction laborer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Spotting trucks
You're asked to help guide a delivery truck backing into the site. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stands where the driver can see them in a mirror, agrees on signals first, stays out of the truck's path, and signals stop if they lose sight of the driver.
Behavioral · Dependability
Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you started early or stayed late to finish something important. What made it important?
A strong answer: Gives a real example, explains why it mattered to the people counting on them, and shows they planned ahead instead of rushing.
The superintendent can score all four each week from the daily report. Give a new laborer a month on your sites first, and take the bar from your best laborers.
On-time task completion rate
Tasks the super assigns each day, such as stocking a floor or clearing a corridor, done by the time set. Mark them in the daily report, and note when a task waited on a sub.
Accuracy rate in inventory management
Deliveries the laborer counted that matched the packing slip, plus leftover material logged back to storage. Check it against the inventory specialist's records for the week.
Site cleanliness rating
A weekly walk score from the super covering exits, stairs, debris bins and stored material. Add comments from inspectors and from the lender's site visits.
Material waste reduction
Material thrown out or damaged on site against what was ordered, by building. Note causes such as weather, poor stacking or cutoffs that could have been used.
Career path
Laborer / helperUnloads, stages and cleans up for the trades and the company crew.
Skilled tradespersonBuilds forms, frames walls and does finish work from the drawings.
Crew leadLeads two or three workers on punch lists, small pours or framing.
SuperintendentTakes charge of a site, its subs and its daily report.
Other roles in a commercial builders & developers business
Can we hire 16- or 17-year-olds as construction laborers?
Under federal rules, yes, with limits. Workers 14 and 15 can't work in construction except office or sales work away from the site. Those under 18 can't do roofing or work on or near a roof, work in trenches deeper than four feet, or work in deeper building digs unless the walls are shored or sloped. They also can't run or help with cranes, hoists, forklifts, or circular, reciprocating or cut-off saws. Registered apprentices and student-learners have narrow exceptions to some of these. Check your state's rules too.
How much does a commercial construction laborer make?
Construction laborers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $24.01 an hour ($49,940 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $44,070 and $63,490 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Why does the template ask for endurance for manual labor?
The template keeps that wording, but on these sites it means work you can name: hauling block, drywall and debris all shift, taking the stairs to upper floors before the elevator runs, and working outside in heat, cold and rain. Write those tasks into the ad in place of the endurance wording, and tell applicants how to ask for a reasonable accommodation.
Who directs a laborer who's helping a subcontractor?
Your superintendent. A laborer lent to a sub for a morning still works for you: the super assigns the task, and your safety rules and training apply. If the sub's foreman wants more than carrying and cleanup, such as running a saw or a machine, the laborer checks with the super first.
Can we use laborers from a staffing agency?
Many builders do in busy months. In OSHA's view, safety for temps is a shared job between the agency and the host employer, and the host must give temps the same training and protections as everyone else. So a temp gets the same site orientation as your own laborers on day one. Agree in writing which side provides gear and which training.
