The construction industry has long been known for its job security. As housing and commercial construction demands rise with a labor shortage, the industry needs more skilled professionals to answer the call. Newcomers and apprentices to the industry can try multiple entry-level construction jobs to grow, learn, and make a significant income. Roofing laborers, masonry workers, and landscapers are just a few examples of the best entry-level construction jobs to explore. 

The top 12 entry-level construction jobs with little to no experience needed

1. Painting laborer

Average hourly pay: $21.82 USD

Painting is a more intensive trade than you’d think. It involves a lot of physical work, planning, and strategy. When you start as a painting laborer, you can expect to lay down paint sheets, tape baseboards and frames, and clean up the post-paint job. Once you’ve mastered the prep and clean-up, you’ll slowly get your hands dirty and get trained on the basics of how to prime and paint correctly. 

This is an excellent entry-level construction job to start with and scale your career. If it turns out it’s not a fit, you’ll still learn valuable DIY skills to take with you when you pivot. 

2. Sprinkler fitter

Average hourly pay: $20.00 USD

As a new-to-site sprinkler fitter, you’ll be responsible for the installation and assembly of sprinkler systems. You’ll execute and comply with strict safety standards set by your foreman, as sprinkler systems are complex. An improperly installed system could cause building damage or injury to its occupants. This job can be learned on the site as a complete beginner with the right guidance, but to become fully certified, you will need to take apprenticeship programs.

Typical job duties of a sprinkler fitter:

• Measure, cut, ream, and thread pipe
• Join pipes via soldering and welding
• Install valves, controls, and associated equipment
• Learn to test systems for leaks using liquid or air-pressure equipment

3. Landscaper

Average hourly pay: $15.00 USD

Love the outdoors and learning a trade that cultivates a beautiful end product? Landscaping could be for you. While landscaping is often forgotten as a part of the construction industry, it is a significant piece of the construction puzzle. 

Landscaping is hard labor, and learning comes quickly. You’ll learn the basics of lawn and garden maintenance, how to lay out aesthetic outdoor materials, and even how to operate basic machinery. These introductory skills could be of great use throughout your construction career and could even set you up to kick off your own landscaping business of the future. 

4. Sheet metal worker

Average hourly pay: $22.42 USD

Have you ever been intrigued by the thought of working with metal? A career in sheet metal would be the perfect fit. It will take some time and training before you’re skilled in a role like sheet metal work, but this specialized field will allow you to keep a valuable career long into the future. 

To kick off, you’ll likely be cleaning the site, maintaining the tools, and helping facilitate the work done by the pros. But, as time goes by, you’ll be given more opportunities to slowly learn the tricks of the trade and advance in your position. 

5. Drywall laborer

Average hourly pay: $24.05 USD

Another career path that involves precision and care is drywall labor. In this trade, you measure, cut, and fit new drywall sheets for installation on ceilings and walls. Again, as an entry-level worker, you’d likely be expected to clean and prep the site and do anything around it to facilitate productive work. 

Fully trained and certified laborers can expect to:

• Position and install sheets to wooden or metal studs
• Measure and cut corner beads
• Nail indentations, fill joints, holes, and cracks
• Smooth out and remove excess compound
• Apply successive coats as needed

6. Carpentry laborer

Average hourly pay: $18.00 USD

When people think of construction, the first thing that often comes to mind is carpentry. If you love woodworking and carpentry, an entry-level carpentry laborer job will be a great fit. Before you can get into the technical skills and ins and outs of tool operation, you’ll spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down job sites. 

You’ll also move and maybe maintain equipment and clean up trash throughout the day. It’s not the most exciting job when you start out, but the more you work with the equipment, the faster you’ll learn and progress, gaining experience for the future.

7. Masonry worker

Average hourly pay: $24.00 USD

Fully certified masons could have a range of job duties, from building brick or stone walls to producing patios, paths, walkways, and more. As a beginner, you might be a little more hands-on than in some other career paths.

You’ll be trained in proper stone installation techniques and help lay stone and brick. You’ll also help transport and move materials to and from the job site.

8. Roofing laborer

Average hourly pay: $25.00 USD

Getting into roofing means you’re in for another physically intensive job. The day-to-day specifics depend on whether you’re doing residential or commercial roofing, but as an entry-level worker, you’ll likely be put right to work. 

New roofers might be tasked with managing the dumpster space, ensuring roof debris can be discarded appropriately, tearing up old roofs, transporting new shingles to the site, and learning basic installation techniques. 

9. Floor and tile laborer

Average hourly pay: $22.00 USD

Much like the trade of drywall laborer, floor and tile installation requires great precision and skill. As a new laborer, you’ll likely be tasked with setting up and cleaning up before and after the job. But it likely won’t be long until you cut and lay the tile on your own. 

Some of your training as an entry-level worker will include the fundamentals of why certain materials should be used in some spaces versus others and how to be precise with every cut. You’ll also learn about proper tile placement and soon understand what to do when a material is looking out of place on the job.

10. Solar panel installer

Average hourly pay: $24.50 USD

Solar panel installation can be a dangerous job, so as a new worker on the job, clean up, proper transport, and adhering to safety protocols will be your job’s main focus. Fully trained installers can expect to: 

• Assemble, install, and maintain panels on rooftops or other structures
• Ensuring efficiency and alignment of panels
• Working with electrical systems to connect the equipment to the wiring of the building
• Site assessments, risk assessments, and shade analysis
• Performing routine maintenance and troubleshooting of the equipment

11. Commercial construction laborer

Average hourly pay: $22.39 USD

A commercial construction laborer gets to sample a little of everything, career-wise. This is more of a general entry-level position; you could work in schools, large buildings, roads, houses, and more.

The duties themselves could include anything from site clean up, prep, transporting materials, safety watch, and anything else that doesn’t require extensive training. This is a great entry-level career path to give workers a sense of what elements of the industry they enjoy so they can pick a path that suits them later. 

12. Asphalt laborer

Average hourly pay: $20.00 USD

Lastly, the asphalt laborer, also called a screwman, is a popular choice for entry-level workers. Their job primarily involves adjusting the screed height on paving machines. The proper knowledge and adjustments ensure proper grade, depth, and finish for the job. 

The new asphalt laborer operates a variety of simple to complex construction tools. They may assist with repairs, cleaning, and maintaining gutters, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, and highways. 

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