[wccrawford]

Seems like $14.07.

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Construction_Labore...

Even "Construction Worker" doesn't bring it up much ($14.75), which means there's nothing in that career directly.

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Construction_Worker...

The next step in that career is to be a manager or foreman. The Foreman only gets $22.36. ($38k/yr)

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Construction_Forema...

What does a college grad make? $50k/yr.

http://time.com/money/collection-post/3829776/heres-what-the...

Carpenter, handyman and general contractor do better than construction.

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Industry=Home_Renovatio...

So yeah, I'm not surprised that people aren't excited about a career in construction.

[bobthepanda]

Depends on the market you're in and what you can do.

> A crane operator in New York City earns $82.15 an hour in base pay and benefits, according to the Engineer News-Record, a trade publication. That's well's above the $66 an hour he would earn in Chicago or the $39 an hour in Washington, D.C.

> But the real reason New York crane operators and other operating engineers earn such big salaries is overtime and benefits. A relief crane operator working 56 hours of overtime per week for 52 weeks will earn $332,667 in overtime and $159,053 in overtime benefits at the World Trade Center. As a worker's salaries go up, so do the amounts employers must kick in for annuities and pensions.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303936704576399...

[CydeWeys]

Crane operators are unionized. That's why they get good pay and have overtime and benefits. https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/local-14-a-thorn-in-...

It's really hard to break into though, because unlike entry level construction jobs that pay scraps, the demand is higher than the supply.

[relate]

and whether you are willing to work 106 (40+56) hours a week...

[conanbatt]

Thats unions, but such thing also reduces the amount of housing and construction you can make.

[null000]

If it can't be built with labor compensated by living wages, it probably doesn't need to be built all that bad...

[conanbatt]

Say the homeless and the 30 year-olds living with their parents and the unemployed or workers earning less than unionized workers.

[PantaloonFlames]

As with any field, specialized skills command higher pay.

Plenty of opportunity to learn a proper skill, like drywall finishing, electrical work, plumbing, or carpentry/cabinetry, and command better than $15/hr in the USA.

[colek42]

You can make quite a bit more. It is pretty easy to start your business as a tradesman when you have experience, without employees you can easily net over 100k a year in low cost of living markets. Also, many construction workers get the benefit of side jobs and overtime. Definitely not an easy life, but there is something that can be said about the satisfaction you get after building something physical.

[blanderman]

That website does not seem very comprehensive. The government makes thorough statistics on income available for free: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes470000.htm

[Ibethewalrus]

Overheard a construction manager talking about workers making over $120k in SF —-with overtime