Hire a labourer – the extra pair of hands on the construction site

What does a labourer do?

A labourer is an unskilled helper on the construction site. The job does not require a journeyman's certificate, but it does require being able to pitch in, keep things in order and work safely alongside others. Typically, the labourer handles:

• clearing up, sweeping and sorting waste into skips
• carrying in and distributing materials, e.g. plasterboard, insulation and bricks
• covering and protecting floors, windows and finished surfaces
• assisting carpenters, bricklayers and other trades
• light demolition of non-load-bearing elements and breaking out
• winter tasks such as snow clearing, gritting and covering up
• receiving and unloading deliveries

When does a labourer make sense?

When skilled workers spend too much time carrying, tidying up and waiting for materials, the hours get expensive. A labourer frees up time for the people who are there to do the skilled work.

Many also hire a labourer at the start of a build when the site is being set up, or in the final phase when everything needs clearing and preparing for handover. Clearing and demolition before a renovation is another classic example.

Renovation in occupied buildings

When work is carried out in a building where people live or work, covering, dust screens and cleaning of stairwells and access routes take up a lot of time. A labourer who takes care of this helps keep residents and users satisfied and means fewer complaints along the way.

Labourer or skilled worker?

The choice depends on the job. A simple rule of thumb:

• Choose a labourer when the job is mainly about moving, clearing, covering and helping out.
• Choose a skilled worker when there is measuring, installing or other work that requires trade knowledge. See, for example, how you can hire a carpenter.

If you are unsure, describe the job to us. We will help you assess what makes most sense.

Make the first day easy

A labourer typically moves between many different tasks over the course of a week. It helps everyone if you have the following sorted in advance:

1. who the labourer reports to and takes tasks from
2. an introduction to the site's safety rules, access routes and waste sorting
3. personal protective equipment such as safety boots, hard hat, hi-vis vest, gloves and hearing protection, and who provides it
4. any machinery to be operated, so we can find someone with the right certificates and courses

A quick check of these points on the first morning often saves a lot of questions later in the week.

How we work

Bemandix finds labourers among our own workers and at approved partner companies. You get one contact person you can call, and a specific proposal before anything is fixed.

Find more trades under construction and civil engineering.

Need an extra pair of hands? Book workers here and tell us what needs doing and for how long.