A labourer works on construction sites, building foundations, walls and digging trenches. They may also carry out plastering, fitting windows, and many other jobs on site.
On this page are listed a number of UK recruitment agencies that specialise in filling labourer roles.
Labouring often involves hard, physical work, with a great deal of lifting and carrying. As such, candidates must be physically fit, and indeed it is a job that can maintain that fitness.
The majority of labourers enter the role as an apprentice, which is offered as long as certain basic education has been attained, usually GCSEs in English, Maths and Design and Technology. Once an individual has become an apprentice, they may take various NVQs, and continue with these once they are qualified.
An alternative route is to take a college course such as an Edexcel First Diploma in Construction, a City & Guilds Basic Skills in Construction award, or an Intermediate/Advanced Construction Award.
While apprentices or those entering the profession may be paid around £15,000 per year initially, this can rise substantially over time to around £23,000. Highly experienced labourers may earn £30,000 per year. Winter months can present less work to labourers due to decreased light levels and more frequent bad weather.