Will AI replace cement masons and concrete finishers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 41m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 19m (92%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.6% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 4 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 41m of a typical shift. 20 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Operate power vibrator to compact concrete. (14m a shift; e.g. Bright Dream Robotics concrete-floor screeding robot, in use)
• Mix cement, sand, and water to produce concrete, grout, or slurry, using hoe, trowel, tamper, scraper, or concrete-mixing machine. (14m a shift; e.g. ICON Magma (with Vulcan printer, BuildOS), in use)
• Waterproof or restore concrete surfaces, using appropriate compounds. (7m a shift; e.g. Okibo robots (with Performance Contracting Inc.), in use)
• Wet concrete surface, and rub with stone to smooth surface and obtain specified finish. (7m a shift; e.g. Scan + Grind system (ABB robot + FerRobotics AAK 617 Concrete + accell integration) at STS Fertigteile, in use)

7h 19m of a typical shift, or 92%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float. (2h 17m a shift)
• Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge. (48m a shift)
• Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them. (41m a shift)
• Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process. (21m a shift)
• Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms. (21m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 99% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly
• 99% spend more than half the day walking or moving

On Indeed, job postings in the Construction sector are at 129% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 14,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $57,020 a year ($27.41 an hour), 12% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $39,190 and $85,480 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 1.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 208,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 14,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 206,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.13% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 168th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 208,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 52% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 1 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: little or no preparation. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Quality Control Analysis, Time Management, Coordination, Monitoring
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 19m of a typical shift

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Helpers for Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters (2h 46m touched, $48k median pay)
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons (2h 47m touched, $62k median pay)
• Roustabouts, Oil and Gas (28m touched, $47k median pay)
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (2h 5m touched, $76k median pay)
• Floor Sanders and Finishers (0m touched, $50k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 4 with robots in real deployments, 22 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.