← UK Occupations
🇬🇧 UKSOC 5313· Skilled Construction and Building Trades

Bricklayers

Bricklayers erect and repair brick, pre-cut stone and concrete block structures such as walls, paving, chimney stacks and tunnel lining.

BricklayerBlock setterChimney builderFloor stone LayerKiln repairer
£32,480
median salary
£26,412 – £37,007
55,700
currently employed
42,806
projected 2035
Declining
5 tasks scored1 AI Assists4 Human-Led

Task Bundle Breakdown

How AI interacts with this occupation's task bundle

20%
80%
0%
AI automates
20%
AI assists
80%
Human-led

Task-by-Task Breakdown

Every task scored individually — sorted highest to lowest AI exposure

44

examines drawings, photographs and specifications to determine job requirements

AI Assists

AI tools like AutoCAD AI or Procore can help interpret drawings and flag specification requirements, but a bricklayer still needs to apply site-specific judgment to translate plans into physical work.

22

measures construction site and lays out the first lines of bricks to mark position of walls

Human-Led

Physical measurement and layout requires hands-on presence and spatial judgment on uneven or complex sites, though laser measurement apps and AI-assisted surveying tools can assist with calculations.

22

uses hand and power tools to shape and trim bricks

Human-Led

Shaping and trimming bricks with hand and power tools demands physical skill and on-the-spot judgment that AI cannot currently automate, though CNC cutting machines can pre-cut some standard shapes.

11

mixes and spreads mortar on foundations and bricks

Human-Led

Mixing and spreading mortar is a hands-on physical task requiring real-time tactile judgment about consistency and application that AI cannot replicate today.

11

places, levels and aligns bricks in mortar bed and walls

Human-Led

Placing, levelling and aligning bricks requires fine physical dexterity, real-time adjustment and craftsmanship that current robotics and AI cannot reliably perform at scale on typical UK construction sites.

ROI Calculator

Bricklayers

4.5hrs
saved per week
216hrs
per year ≈ 5.8 weeks
£3,898
salary-equivalent capacity freed per year

This is not a pay rise — it's 216 hours of productive capacity that AI could return to you, valued at your current rate.

£6,496
value at risk — 20% of role exposed to AI

The portion of your current salary tied to tasks AI can automate or augment. Not a prediction of job loss — a signal of where your role is changing fastest.

How is this calculated?▾

Task weights — each task is weighted by its O*NET frequency rating. Where frequency data is absent, equal weighting is applied.

AI time reduction — tasks scored as "AI Automates" assume 80% time saving; "AI Assists" assumes 40%; "Human-Led" assumes 5%.

Salary equivalent — annual hours saved × (salary ÷ 1,800 working hours/year).

Value at risk — salary × share of role time in AI-automate or AI-assist tasks.

Figures are indicative estimates for planning purposes, not guarantees of productivity gain or job loss risk.