Hire construction laborers
Construction laborers keep a job site moving. They prep the site, move material, support the trades and clean up so the next crew can start. When a contractor is short on laborers, skilled tradespeople end up carrying lumber instead of doing the work they are paid for. Optihire Staffing recruits construction laborers and helpers for general contractors, subcontractors and residential builders across the United States.
Contingency Recruitment
You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
What a construction laborer does
Daily work includes loading and unloading materials, digging and backfilling, putting up and taking down scaffolding and barricades, using hand and power tools, mixing and pouring concrete and keeping the site clean and safe. Many laborers work alongside one trade, such as carpenters, concrete crews or masons.
The work is outdoors in all weather, physically hard and often starts early. Sites change as projects finish, so laborers need a reliable way to reach each new location.
What to screen for
The skills, credentials and habits worth checking before you make an offer.
Reliability and transportation
Ask how they will reach your sites, including ones across town, and how they manage early starts. A laborer who doesn't show up holds up the whole crew.
Safety training
Ask about OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour Outreach training and any site-specific training. Some states, cities and contracts require these courses for certain jobs, so check what applies to yours.
Tools and equipment
Ask which hand and power tools they have used and whether they have run equipment such as a plate compactor or skid steer. Equipment such as aerial lifts and forklifts calls for training under OSHA rules, so plan for that.
The physical side
Describe the work honestly, including lifting, weather, heights and long days. Candidates who know what to expect are more likely to stay.
Willingness to learn
Many good laborers become apprentices and then tradespeople. Ask what they want to learn and which trade interests them.
How we recruit construction laborers
Tell us the project type, the crews, the start times, the pay range and how far apart your sites are. We source laborers in your area and screen for reliability, transportation, safety training and the physical side of the work. Your shortlist comes with a note on each person's experience and why they fit your crews.
Building a crew for a new project? Give us one brief for every opening and we fill it in order, with regular updates. Our guide to screening skilled trades candidates covers the questions that matter on a job site, and our construction and skilled trades page lists the other roles we fill. Compare all our recruitment services.
Interview questions to ask
Open questions that make candidates describe real work. Follow up on anything vague.
What kind of sites have you worked on, and which trades did you support?
How will you get to our job sites, including ones that change every few weeks?
Which tools and equipment have you used?
What safety training have you had, and what do you do if you see something unsafe?
Tell me about your hardest day on a job site. How did you get through it?
Hiring construction laborers?
Send us the role, the shift and the pay range. You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.