With red-hot demand for construction nationwide, many builders are struggling to find the professionals they need to keep up. One recent forecast from a national trade association estimated that an additional 501,000 construction professionals will be needed in the industry this year, plus an additional 454,000 in 2025 on top of normal hiring.
This is good news for many experienced construction professionals, who can command higher wages or improved benefits since their skills are in high demand. And those looking to make a career switch can currently find ample opportunity for entry-level jobs in construction.
To identify the most popular construction jobs and understand which roles in the industry are most common, researchers ranked 57 construction occupations based on their share of total construction employment. Here are some key takeaways from the report:
- Construction laborers, electricians, and carpenters are among the most popular construction occupations, respectively accounting for 16.4%, 11.4%, and 11.2% of total construction employment nationwide.
- When it comes to compensation, elevator and escalator installers and repairers lead the nation with a median annual wage of $102,420, but make up only 0.4% of the country’s total construction employment.
- Lower-paying construction occupations include helper roles in roofing, painting, and carpentry, with median annual wages between $37,000 and $40,000. However, it’s worth noting that these occupations pay better than many roles outside of the construction industry with similar educational requirements.
Here are the 5 most popular construction industry occupations in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metropolitan area:
The full report includes data on 57 construction occupations, as well as the most popular construction jobs in over 350 U.S. metros and all 50 states.
