A concrete finisher smooths and finishes laid concrete, such as streets and sidewalks. Concrete finishing jobs are mainly available through various home and commercial building contractors. Concrete finishers also work on road and bridge projects.
Like many construction jobs, a concrete finisher does not necessarily need any kind of formal training or education. This is not a complex task but does require some physical abilities that some people may not have. The ability to work with tools is essential, and a fair degree of strength and mobility are required to perform concrete finishing work.
The actual finishing skills are generally learned through on-the-job training. Like just about any job these days, there is no shortage of people looking to become a concrete finisher or any other construction jobs. However, demand remains fairly high for this job. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 140,950 workers in the “cement masons and concrete finishers” category in May of 2010.
General contractors and some subcontractors are the major employers in this area. The top group is foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors. Next up are other specialty trade contractors. Nonresidential building construction occupied the third spot on the concrete finisher jobs list of employment categories. Fourth was highway, street, and bridge construction, and fifth was residential building construction.
With a median salary of around $35,000 per year, concrete finishers earn a competitive salary for a job that does not require any formal education or special skills beyond what can be learned fairly quickly on the job. However, getting a college education in building trades or engineering could be useful in getting better jobs or opening a concrete finishing business, such as supervisor job positions or even a licensed contractor after getting some experience.
Naturally, you can look for jobs with area contractors. Some of these use employment agencies to sift through possible employees. Some contracting companies also post jobs for concrete finishing online. Examples of sites that have online work advertisements for concrete finishers are Simply Hired and
Resources:
Simply Hired Concrete Finisher Job Advertisements
Career Builder Concrete Finishing Jobs
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Career Information for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers