Brickmasons and blockmasons
SOC Code: 47-2021
Brickmasons and blockmasons carries a 24% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $60,800 and +3.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 74,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 24% AI exposure, Brickmasons and blockmasons sits 13 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 13% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
64/100
Brickmasons and blockmasons, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage C- $60,800
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C +3.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A 24% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Brickmasons and blockmasons in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Brickmasons and blockmasons keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Brickmasons and blockmasons sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Brickmasons and blockmasons sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
24% Among the lowest lower than 87% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Brickmasons and blockmasons vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Brickmasons and blockmasons is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Brickmasons and blockmasons's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 47-2021) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Brickmasons and blockmasons be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Brickmasons and blockmasons. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
- 2. Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
- 3. Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- 4. Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- 5. Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
- 6. Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
- 7. Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
- 8. Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
- 9. Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
- 10. Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Time Management
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Brickmasons and blockmasons?
Brickmasons and blockmasons has an AI exposure score of 24%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Brickmasons and blockmasons?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Brickmasons and blockmasons is projected to grow by 3.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 74,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Brickmasons and blockmasons?
Key skills for Brickmasons and blockmasons include Critical Thinking, Coordination, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Brickmasons and blockmasons earn?
The median annual wage for Brickmasons and blockmasons is $60,800, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Brickmasons and blockmasons?
The typical entry-level education for Brickmasons and blockmasons is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Apprenticeship. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Brickmasons and blockmasons?
Brickmasons and blockmasons roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Brickmasons and blockmasons: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (24% here).
- Audiologists · AI exposure 24%
- Dental laboratory technicians · AI exposure 24%
- Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic · AI exposure 24%
- Fundraisers · AI exposure 24%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.2% here).
- Anesthesiologists · growth +3.2%
- Commercial and industrial designers · growth +3.2%
- Counter and rental clerks · growth +3.2%
- Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers · growth +3.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 43 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Brickmasons and blockmasons' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Brickmasons and blockmasons side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).