How to Hire General Laborers Who Show Up and Stay

Define the work: site, tools and PPE

"General laborer" can mean site cleanup, carrying material, digging, demolition, flagging or helping a trade. Candidates decide whether to apply based on the details, so write them down before you post.

• Where the work is: one site, several sites, or a different site each week. Say whether the crew meets at a yard first.
• The start time and typical finish, including Saturdays and how weather affects hours and pay.
• What they will do on a normal day and what they will lift.
• Tools they should know, such as shovels, wheelbarrows, jackhammers, saws or compaction equipment, and whether you train on them.
• What PPE you provide and what they need to bring, such as boots.
• Whether a driver's license or reliable transportation is required.
• The hourly rate.

On PPE, federal construction rules require the employer to provide required protective equipment at no cost to employees, with some exceptions. Under 29 CFR 1926.95(d), employers do not have to pay for ordinary safety-toe boots or prescription safety glasses if workers can wear them off the job site, or for everyday clothing and normal weather gear. Saying exactly what you supply and what workers bring avoids an argument on the first morning.

For pay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $22.44 an hour ($46,680 a year) for construction laborers and helpers in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). That is a national figure, so check what contractors near your projects are posting.

Where laborers look for work

BLS notes that formal education is not typically required for construction laborers, so your pool is wide. Use several channels at once.

• Referrals from your best laborers and foremen. Ask specifically: "Who do you know who would show up every day?"
• Job boards and your own website, with pay and start time in the first line and a mobile-friendly application.
• People who worked for you before and left on good terms.
• Local workforce programs, pre-apprenticeship programs and trade schools, for candidates who want to move into a trade.
• A recruiter who already screens laborers in your area.

Call back the same day if you can. Someone ready to work tomorrow may take whichever job offers a clear start date first.

Phone screen questions for general laborers

Keep it to about five minutes and ask the same questions of everyone. Start with transportation and the start time, since those decide whether a candidate can do the job at all.

1. "We start at 6:30 a.m. at a site in [area], Monday to Friday, with some Saturdays. How would you get there, and how long would it take?"
2. "The work involves lifting up to 50 pounds and being on your feet all day, outdoors. Can you do that, with or without an accommodation?"
3. "Tell me about your last job on a construction site or doing physical work. What did a normal day look like?"
4. "Which tools or equipment have you used?"
5. "Have you had any safety training, such as an OSHA 10-hour course?"
6. "The pay is $X an hour. Does that work for you?"
7. "What would make you miss a day or be late?"
8. "If we offered you the job, when could you start?"

Question 2 follows EEOC guidance: you can describe the physical demands and ask whether the candidate can meet them, but you cannot ask about disabilities or medical conditions before a job offer. Change the times, lift weight and pay to match your job.

On question 5, know what the answer means. OSHA's Outreach Training Program (the 10-hour and 30-hour courses) is voluntary, is not a certification and does not meet any OSHA standard's training requirement, although some states and cities require it for certain work. A card is a good sign. It does not replace your own site training.

For candidates heading into skilled work, our guide to screening skilled trades candidates covers practical tests and license checks.

Day-one safety orientation

Under 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2), the employer must instruct each employee in recognizing and avoiding unsafe conditions and in the regulations that apply to their work. A new laborer's first morning is where that starts. Fall protection was the most frequently cited OSHA standard on the agency's preliminary list for fiscal year 2026, with scaffolding and ladders also in the top five, so cover those hazards early if they exist on your site.

• Who the foreman is, how to reach them, and what to do if you are running late or sick.
• Site rules: where to park, where to sign in, break times, where the restroom and water are.
• PPE issue and fit: hard hat, vest, eye and hearing protection, gloves, plus anything task-specific.
• The hazards on this site today: open edges, ladders, scaffolds, excavations, moving equipment, overhead work.
• How to report an injury, a near miss or an unsafe condition, and that doing so is expected.
• Who they will shadow for the first days.

Keeping crews past the first two weeks

Early quits on a crew usually trace back to something the new hire did not expect: the hours, the pay, the work or how they were treated. These steps catch problems while you can still fix them.

• Pair each new laborer with an experienced crew member for the first week.
• Have the foreman check in briefly on day two, day five and day ten. Ask what has been harder than expected.
• Pay correctly and on time from the first check. A short or late first paycheck is a fast way to lose a new hire's trust.
• Give a clear answer about rain days and what happens to hours.
• Show reliable laborers what comes next, whether that is more hours, equipment training or a path toward a trade.

Our guide to reducing early turnover among hourly employees has more on the first month. If you staff up for a project start or a busy season, our seasonal hiring plan shows how to work backward from the first day on site.

How Optihire Staffing can help you hire laborers

Optihire Staffing recruits construction laborers and other construction and skilled trades staff for contractors and builders across the United States. One recruiter learns your sites, start times, pay and what a good laborer looks like on your crew, then screens candidates for reliability, transportation and safety training before you meet them. For a whole crew, one brief covers every opening.

With contingency recruitment, you pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, under terms agreed in writing before any work starts. Submit your hiring requirements and we will be in touch.