First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

What you'd actually do

• Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met.
• Read specifications, such as blueprints, to determine construction requirements or to plan procedures.
• Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.
• Assign work to employees, based on material or worker requirements of specific jobs.
• Coordinate work activities with other construction project activities.
• Estimate material or worker requirements to complete jobs.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 11.5% of first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, take-charge and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Construction and Building Inspectors
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Electricians
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Roof Bolters, Mining
• Boilermakers

Quick questions

How much does a first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction worker make?

The median pay is $38.42 per hour — roughly $80,000 a year, with the real range running from about $25.62/hr (10th percentile) to $61.66/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction worker?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction worker actually do all day?

Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met. Read specifications, such as blueprints, to determine construction requirements or to plan procedures. Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.