A concrete and masonry laborer keeps masons and finishers supplied. They mix mortar, stock block and brick, set and strip forms, and pull concrete into place on pour day. They clean tools and the site before anything hardens, and learn the trade by working beside the crew.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, structure and exterior contractors · BLS, May 2025
Support skilled masons by preparing materials, assisting with concrete and masonry tasks, and ensuring work areas remain organized and safe.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist masons with the accurate preparation and placement of concrete and masonry materials.
Handle, transport, and store materials safely to support on-site operations.
Manage cleanup tasks to maintain a clean and organized work environment.
Follow safety protocols and quality control procedures to uphold company standards.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Deliver and set up necessary tools and materials at job sites.
Mix, pour, and spread materials under direct supervision of experienced masons.
Regularly inspect work areas to ensure compliance with safety and cleanliness standards.
Communicate any equipment or material issues promptly to supervisors.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Task Completion Rate: Achieve a 95% on-time completion rate for assigned tasks.
Material Handling Accuracy: Maintain a material error rate of less than 2%.
Safety Compliance: Achieve a 100% adherence to all safety protocols.
Cleanup Efficiency: Ensure job sites are cleared within 15 minutes post-task completion.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Basic understanding of concrete and masonry work, or a willingness to learn.
Ability to follow instructions accurately and work effectively in a team.
Strong physical stamina and attention to detail in a labor-intensive environment.
6. Preferred Experience
1-2 years of experience in the construction, concrete, or masonry industry.
Previous laborer or helper experience in a fast-paced home services environment.
Familiarity with on-site tools, materials handling, and safety protocols.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Frequent bending, stooping, and prolonged standing during shifts.
Exposure to outdoor weather conditions including heat, cold, and rain.
Capability to work in dusty, noisy, and physically demanding environments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional extended hours based on project deadlines.
Limited travel required between job sites.
Occasional on-call duties during peak project periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range of $15.00 - $20.00 per hour based on experience.
Eligibility for overtime pay as applicable.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching.
Paid vacation, sick leave, and opportunities for overtime.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we value a culture of growth, mutual respect, and excellence.
We empower our team members to develop their skills and take pride in delivering top-quality services.
Our supportive work environment fosters open communication, continuous learning, and career advancement.
Join us to be a part of a forward-thinking company dedicated to customer satisfaction and community impact.
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
Masons and finishers work fastest when they never wait for mortar, block or concrete. The helper makes sure they don't, and picks up the trade in between.
Mortar mixed the same way every batch
The Brick Industry Association says to mix mortar for 3 to 5 minutes, with the same amounts going in, in the same order, every batch. Cement and lime go in by whole bags, or half bags, so the mix doesn't end up with too much sand. Sand gets measured with a cubic-foot box or a five-gallon bucket. A shovel count works too if it's rechecked each morning, each afternoon and whenever someone else shovels. Source: Brick Industry Association Technical Note 8B: Mortars for brickwork, selection and quality assurance.
Mortar has a time limit
BIA says mortar should be used within 2½ hours of mixing, or 2 hours in hot weather, because it starts to set. Adding water to replace what dries off the board is fine inside that window. Colored mortar is different. BIA advises against retempering it, because the added water lightens the color, so mix colored mortar in smaller batches. A helper who mixes to the masons' pace throws less away. Source: Brick Industry Association Technical Note 8: Mortars for brickwork.
What the law rules out for teen helpers
Federal child labor law bars anyone under 16 from construction site work, except in an office or sales job. Until 18, a helper can't run, feed, clean or change the blade on a cut-off saw or masonry saw, or run or help with a skid steer, loader or forklift. They also stay out of a foundation dig over 4 feet deep unless its walls are shored or sloped. The saw and dig rules carve out narrow exceptions for registered apprentices and student-learners, and states can be stricter. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR Part 570, Subpart E (hazardous occupations for 16- and 17-year-olds).
Pour day means staying ahead of the screed
On a slab, the helper rakes and pulls concrete into the low spots ahead of the screed, runs a wheelbarrow where the chute can't reach, and keeps hand tools clean between loads. Water goes into the mix only when the lead says so. When the last truck leaves, the helper washes chutes, tools and the mixer before anything sets, at the washout spot the lead picks.
How much concrete and masonry laborers make
The closest BLS group for concrete and masonry laborers is Helpers--Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters. Helpers--Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $23.34 an hour ($48,550 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $47,550 median for Helpers--Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters in all industries. About 9,860 of the 14,170 Helpers--Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters in that survey work for structure and exterior contractors.
Hourly, with overtime, is how the template pays. For helpers of brick, block and stone masons at these contractors, its top rate sits about at the bottom quarter's edge, and its starting rate is under the bottom tenth. A helper who mostly sets forms and pours matches O*NET's construction laborer tasks, and that group's median at these contractors is close to this one.
Structure and exterior contractors
$48,550$48,550 median Middle half $41,600–$59,290 10th–90th $36,460–$74,130
All industries
$47,550$47,550 median Middle half $40,100–$57,980 10th–90th $36,230–$70,080
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Structure and exterior contractors
$36,460
$41,600
$48,550
$59,290
$74,130
All industries
$36,230
$40,100
$47,550
$57,980
$70,080
BLS doesn’t publish pay for concrete and masonry contractors on their own. These figures cover foundation, structure and building exterior contractors, 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
Mixes mortar to the masons' pace and keeps their boards full
Stages the right block, brick and bags within each mason's reach
Asks the lead before adding water, moving a form or cutting anything
Washes tools, chutes and the mixer before anything sets
Keeps gloves, boots and eye protection on around wet cement
Teach these on the job
Setting, oiling and stripping forms
Edging, jointing and brooming small slabs
Laying block on back courses under a mason's eye
Running the mortar mixer and plate compactor
Checking forms for line, level and height
A helper's day runs on a mortar mixer, hoe and boards, a wheelbarrow or power buggy, and a come-along rake on pours, plus hammers and stakes for forms. Edgers, groovers and jointers come next, so tell applicants which finishing tools a helper can earn and how.
Concrete and masonry 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 · Cement burns
Wet concrete gets inside your glove and boot, and your skin starts to burn. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops, takes off the wet glove and boot, rinses the skin with clean water right away, and tells the lead.
Behavioral · Steady effort
Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you did hard, repetitive work and kept the quality up.
A strong answer: Gives a specific example of a long stretch of repetitive work and what they did to stay careful, like checking their work as they went.
Score these with the lead mason, who sees the helper's whole day, and give a new helper a few weeks before counting.
Task Completion Rate
Jobs the lead handed out and the helper finished on time, like stocking a wall, stripping a set of forms or mixing for a crew. The lead notes misses on the daily log.
Material Handling Accuracy
Wrong block, brick or bag types brought to the work, batches mixed wrong, and material broken in handling, against everything the helper moved. Count it from the lead's notes.
Safety Compliance
Spot checks by the lead: gloves and boots on around wet cement, eye protection at the mixer, nobody under 18 running or feeding a saw, and walkways clear of cords and block.
Cleanup Efficiency
Minutes from the last task to a clean site, with tools, chutes and the mixer washed at the washout spot. The lead times it on a few jobs each week.
Career path
Laborer / helperMixes, stocks, sets forms and cleans up for masons and finishers.
MasonPlaces and finishes slabs, or lays walls, without a lead at their elbow.
Lead masonSets the pace and the standard for one crew.
Inventory specialistA side step for helpers who know the stock and like the yard.
How should we read the stamina line in a helper's template?
That wording ships with the template unchanged. What it covers here is a list of tasks: carrying block and brick to the wall, shoveling sand and moving bagged mix, which can outweigh the template's 50-pound line. QUIKRETE sells concrete mix in bags up to 80 pounds and portland cement in 94-pound bags, so plan carts, pallet jacks and two-person lifts. Write each of those tasks into the posting, then tell applicants who to ask about an accommodation.
How much does a concrete and masonry laborer make?
Helpers--Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $23.34 an hour ($48,550 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $41,600 and $59,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
How does a helper move up to mason?
Step by step, with a lead who teaches. Start with mixing and stocking, then setting and stripping forms, then edging and jointing small slabs or laying block on courses that won't show. Check skills every few months against a short list, and raise pay at each step. A helper who can see the next skill and the pay bump tied to it has a reason to come back in spring.
Should a helper work for one mason or the whole crew?
On a wall, decide how many masons each helper keeps supplied. Too many, and the masons stand waiting for mortar or block. On a pour, everyone works the concrete, so the helper goes where the lead points. Keeping a helper with the same lead for a season speeds up the learning and gives the lead someone they can trust with more.
Why does the template time the cleanup?
Because set concrete is hard to get off. Mortar left in a mixer or on a chute overnight has to be chipped out, and dried slurry on a homeowner's driveway or a builder's street brings a complaint or a backcharge. The template's target pushes the helper to wash tools and the mixer as each task ends, not after the last truck.
