← UK Occupations
🇬🇧 UKSOC 5319· Skilled Construction and Building Trades

Construction and building trades n.e.c.

Job holders in this unit group undertake a variety of tasks in the construction, alteration, maintenance and repair of buildings, steeples, industrial chimneys and other tall structures, and of underwater structures not elsewhere classified in minor group 531: Construction and building trades.

BuilderBuilding contractorFencerFireplace fitterMaintenance manager (buildings and other structures)Property developer (building construction)
£34,378
median salary
£26,425 – £41,572
218,643
currently employed
205,279
projected 2035
Declining
7 tasks scored7 Human-Led

Task Bundle Breakdown

How AI interacts with this occupation's task bundle

100%
0%
AI automates
0%
AI assists
100%
Human-led

Task-by-Task Breakdown

Every task scored individually — sorted highest to lowest AI exposure

22

selects, measures and cuts steel bars, rods and wire to required lengths, positions and fixes reinforcements into position and tensions as required using hydraulic jacks

Human-Led

AI can assist with calculating required lengths and quantities via tools like AutoCAD or structural engineering software, but the physical selection, cutting, positioning and tensioning of rebar requires skilled manual labour on-site.

22

pours and levels concrete, prepares surfaces for painting and plastering, and mixes and applies plaster and paint

Human-Led

AI can assist with planning mix ratios and surface preparation schedules, but the physical acts of pouring, levelling, plastering and painting require hands-on skilled labour with constant sensory adjustment.

22

installs plumbing fixtures, woodwork structures and fittings, and sets glass in frames

Human-Led

AI-assisted design tools like AutoCAD can help plan plumbing layouts or woodwork fittings, but the physical installation of fixtures, glazing and woodwork structures requires dexterous, on-site human skill.

22

maintains and repairs steeples, industrial chimneys and other high structures, and installs and replaces lightning conductors

Human-Led

Drone inspection tools powered by AI (e.g. DroneDeploy) can assist with surveying high structures to identify damage, but the actual maintenance, repair and installation work at height requires specialist human operatives.

22

erects and repairs fencing

Human-Led

AI can help with planning fencing layouts and material estimates using tools like Buildertrend, but the physical erection and repair of fencing is entirely manual and site-dependent.

11

lays bricks, tiles and building blocks to construct, repair and decorate buildings

Human-Led

Bricklaying is a highly physical, tactile skill requiring real-time adjustment to uneven surfaces and materials; while robotic bricklaying machines like SAM100 exist in limited contexts, they are not widely deployed and cannot handle complex or repair work.

11

checks and puts on diving suit and equipment and descends underwater to carry out construction, maintenance and repair tasks on sites such as oil rigs, harbours, bridges etc

Human-Led

Underwater construction and repair is one of the most physically demanding and hazardous tasks imaginable; while AI-assisted ROVs can survey underwater sites, certified human divers remain essential for complex construction and repair tasks.

ROI Calculator

Construction and building trades n.e.c.

1.9hrs
saved per week
90hrs
per year ≈ 2.4 weeks
£1,719
salary-equivalent capacity freed per year

This is not a pay rise — it's 90 hours of productive capacity that AI could return to you, valued at your current rate.

£0
value at risk — 0% 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.