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Earnings in construction are significantly higher than the average for all industries (table 1) Average earnings of workers in the specialty trade contractors segment were somewhat higher than those of workers employed by building or heavy and civil engineering construction contractors.
Earnings of workers in the construction industry vary by the education and experience of the worker, type of work, the size and nature of the construction project, geographic location, and economic conditions. Earnings of construction trade workers are often affected by poor weather. Heavy rain may slow or even stop work on a construction project. Traditionally, winter is the slack period for construction activity, especially in cold regions, but there is a trend toward more year-round construction even in colder areas. Because construction trades are dependent on one another-especially on large projects-work delays in one trade delay or stop work in another. Earnings in selected occupations in construction in 2002 appear in table 2.
Table 1. Average earnings of non supervisory workers in construction, 2002
| Industry segment |
Weekly |
Hourly |
| Construction industry |
712 |
18.51 |
| Construction of buildings |
676 |
17.74 |
| Industrial building |
779 |
18.77 |
| Nonresidential building |
755 |
19.16 |
| Commercial building |
746 |
19.31 |
| Residential building |
597 |
16.24 |
| Heavy and civil engineering construction |
754 |
18.00 |
| Highway, street, and bridge construction |
813 |
19.16 |
| Other heavy construction |
780 |
18.13 |
| Specialty trade contractors |
715 |
18.91 |
| Electrical contractors |
816 |
20.75 |
| Plumbing and HVAC contractors |
781 |
19.93 |
| Flooring contractors |
688 |
18.46 |
| Building finishing contractors |
645 |
17.72 |
| Masonry contractors |
643 |
18.65 |
| Painting and wall covering contractors |
596 |
16.49 |
| Roofing contractors |
591 |
16.61 |
About 19 percent of construction trades workers were union members or covered by union contracts, compared with about 15 percent of workers throughout private industry. Many different unions represent the various construction trades and form joint apprenticeship committees with local employers to supervise apprenticeship programs.
Table 2. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in construction, 2002
| Occupation |
Construction of buildings |
Heavy and civil engineering construction |
Specialty trade contractors |
All industries |
| Construction managers |
30.49 |
30.83 |
29.94 |
30.53 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
23.38 |
22.88 |
22.80 |
22.92 |
| Plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters |
19.44 |
18.18 |
19.43 |
19.31 |
| Carpenters |
16.78 |
18.38 |
16.67 |
16.44 |
| Insulation workers |
16.50 |
13.60 |
13.57 |
13.91 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
14.99 |
14.40 |
14.45 |
15.97 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
14.11 |
13.85 |
14.00 |
13.98 |
| Construction laborers |
12.15 |
12.66 |
11.97 |
11.90 |
| Helpers--electricians |
11.09 |
11.64 |
11.03 |
11.10 |
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