construction worker.

Since the term construction worker covers various trades, your areas of activity will differ depending on the job. However, your typical tasks usually include some of the following activities:

Many construction workers are generalists who can be deployed in various areas. However, you can also specialise in one of the following fields:

• Mason: As a mason, you build walls and structures out of brick or natural stone. Additionally, you carry out concrete work.
• Concrete worker, formworker or rebar installer: As a concrete worker, you are a specialist in concrete pouring work, while as a formworker you build the wooden forms used to shape the concrete. As a rebar installer, you lay the reinforcement bars inside the forms, giving the concrete its high load-bearing capacity.
• Industrial and subfloor installer: As an industrial and subfloor installer, you lay floors made of concrete, synthetic resin, and other materials.
• Civil engineer: As a civil engineer, you're responsible for excavating construction pits and preparing the ground for building."
• Construction timber cutter: As a construction timber cutter, you cut and saw openings for windows, doors, or ventilation shafts in concrete. Additionally, you also carry out demolition work.
• Road construction worker or paver: As a road construction worker, you build roads, squares, and footpaths using gravel and asphalt. Meanwhile, as a paver, you lay paving stones and natural stone slabs.
• Track builder: As a track builder, you lay down rails and switches for railways and trams.
• Excavator and crane operators: On construction sites, a variety of machines such as excavators, dump trucks, lifts, cranes, or asphalt pavers are used. As an excavator or crane operator, your job is to operate these machines.

For most construction workers employed in building construction, civil engineering, groundwork, or underground work, the national framework agreement for the main construction industry applies. This collective agreement sets out binding minimum wages. It distinguishes between five wage classes:

• pay grade V for foremen
• pay grade Q for skilled workers with a vocational diploma
• pay grade A for skilled workers who have completed an apprenticeship or specific vocational courses, such as training as a construction machinery operator
• salary grade B for construction workers with experience, but without recognized training or further education
• salary class C for construction workers without training and experience

There are various training programs for construction workers. These mainly include apprenticeships as:

• mason
• concrete worker
• civil engineer
• road construction worker
• road paver
• track construction worker
• demolition worker
• industrial and subfloor contractor
• stonemason (specialization in construction and renovation) 

The vocational training lasts three years. During this time, you work in the training company and attend vocational school one day a week. After passing the final apprenticeship exam, you receive the Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ). Are you more interested in practical work than in theory? Then you can pursue a certificate apprenticeship as a construction, road construction, track construction, civil engineering, or industrial and subfloor construction practitioner, or as a stonemason. The certificate apprenticeships only last two years and offer you the opportunity to later complete a shortened vocational apprenticeship to obtain the EFZ.

There are a variety of courses available, where you can, for example, obtain a crane or construction machinery operator's license or the blasting permit. Are you from Portugal or Spain and have already worked on a construction site in Switzerland? If so, you can attend a special course in your home country during the winter months, which will familiarise you with Swiss construction standards. 

With a completed apprenticeship, you also have access to further education opportunities in higher vocational training, which prepare you for managerial positions. For example, you can attend the foreman training school. As a next step, you have the option to take the Higher Vocational Examination as a site supervisor. If you still want to advance further, you can continue your education to become a construction site manager or a master builder. Another option is to obtain the diploma as a construction technician in site management or construction planning at a higher technical college.

Construction is ongoing, especially in a country like Switzerland, which grows by several tens of thousands of people each year. The demand for housing is increasing, and the growing traffic jams call for new roads. Also, expanding the rail network is necessary. At the same time, existing buildings and infrastructure need maintenance and renovation. As you can see: in the coming years, you won’t run out of work as a construction worker. When it comes to job opportunities, you have plenty of choices: building construction, civil engineering, underground or tunnel construction, your options are diverse. You can either specialise in a particular field or seek variety by working as a versatile all-rounder. Whatever you decide, you’ll find the right job offer with us.

Few industries are as open to career changers as the construction sector. To perform simple tasks on a construction site, you don't need any prior experience or specific training. Just look for a position as a "construction worker C." As a construction worker in pay grade C, you'll be trained on the job by experienced professionals. You'll acquire the necessary skills for the trade through hands-on work and gain your first work experience. If you do your job well, you'll typically move up to pay grade B within less than three years. By attending various specialised courses, you can further improve your position and progress to construction worker A.

Building is hard work. That's why you need to be healthy and physically fit. Additionally, you should have the following skills:

• Craftsmanship: You enjoy working with your hands and handle tools skillfully.
• Technical understanding: You have a knack for large machines and pick up quickly how to operate them.
• Spatial imagination: When you read a plan, you understand what the outcome of your work should look like.
• Teamwork: Nothing gets done on a construction site alone. To succeed in the building trade, you need to work well with your colleagues.
• Fear of heights: Especially in high-rise construction, you often find yourself on scaffolding. So, you should not suffer from acrophobia.

There are many good reasons to work as a construction worker at Randstad.
✓ exciting jobs with well-known companies
✓ a reliable contact person whenever you need one, personal advice really matters
✓ attractive employment conditions and good social benefits
✓ continuing education courses and personal development opportunities
✓ clear information in the myRandstad app
✓ do you have a fixed-term contract? Often, there’s the possibility of securing a permanent position afterwards. Many well-known companies also recruit their staff directly through Randstad.

your training budget as a construction worker at randstad.

If you work as a construction worker for Randstad, you have access to further training courses. As part of the TempTraining program from swissstaffing, you can attend training sessions. You will get the course fees reimbursed later, provided you pass the course exam. Your Randstad advisor is there to support you if you have any questions. This way, you can acquire additional language skills or job-specific knowledge, all during your working hours as a construction worker.

Have you found your dream job as a construction worker? It’s not just qualifications and certificates that determine the success of your applications. Careful, error-free, and personalized documents will definitely help you in your job search. Here are a few useful tips to improve your chances:

Do you have questions about the profession of construction worker? Here you'll find the most important answers.