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Will AI Replace Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places cement masons and concrete finishers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +1.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,600 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates cement masons and concrete finishers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
64/100Higher than 92% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+1.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
13,600BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed cement masons and concrete finishers are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Performing general physical activities4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Handling and moving objects4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working outdoors in all weather4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Repetitive motions4.5/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Getting information4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Scheduling work and activities4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Being exact or highly accurate4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for cement masons and concrete finishers

  • Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
  • Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float.
  • Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them.
  • Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms.
  • Produce rough concrete surface, using broom.
  • Wet surface to prepare for bonding, fill holes and cracks with grout or slurry, and smooth, using trowel.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +1.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 13,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 206,170 people work in the job today, at a median of $57,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full cement mason and concrete finisher profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Construction Laborer

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $47,120median a year
    Growth
    +7.3%
    Openings / yr
    120,000
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    72/100
    resilience

    Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites.

  2. Stonemason

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $57,390median a year
    Growth
    −5.4%
    Openings / yr
    500
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    69/100
    resilience

    Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments.

  3. Plasterer and Stucco Mason

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $57,660median a year
    Growth
    +2.8%
    Openings / yr
    1,500
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    68/100
    resilience

    Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials.

  4. Terrazzo Worker and Finisher

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $76,170median a year
    Growth
    −13.0%
    Openings / yr
    100
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    67/100
    resilience

    Apply a mixture of cement, sand, pigment, or marble chips to floors, stairways, and cabinet fixtures to fashion durable and decorative surfaces.

  5. Helpers--Brickmason, Blockmason, Stonemason, and Tile and Marble Setter

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $47,550median a year
    Growth
    −11.7%
    Openings / yr
    1,100
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    65/100
    resilience

    Help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by performing duties requiring less skill.

  6. Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $53,340median a year
    Growth
    −0.9%
    Openings / yr
    3,100
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    65/100
    resilience

    Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials.

Will AI replace construction laborers?

Questions

Will AI Replace Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers? FAQ

Will AI replace cement masons and concrete finishers?

Very unlikely. BLS rates cement masons and concrete finishers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +1.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,600 openings a year.

How exposed are cement masons and concrete finishers to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of a cement mason and concrete finisher's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, getting information and scheduling work and activities. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, hands-on work with tools and objects and handling and moving objects. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a cement mason and concrete finisher a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, cement masons and concrete finishers score 64 out of 100, higher than 92% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $57,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to cement masons and concrete finishers are less exposed to AI?

Construction Laborer (low exposure, $47,120 median), Stonemason (low exposure, $57,390 median), Plasterer and Stucco Mason (low exposure, $57,660 median), Terrazzo Worker and Finisher (low exposure, $76,170 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.