How to Become a General Laborer in Virginia

$21/hr

Start with supervised cleanup and material handling, then build construction skills through local courses or a laborer apprenticeship.

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About this Guide

General laborers keep construction crews supplied and work areas clear. This guide covers those duties in Virginia, including entry through temporary assignments. Warehouse and factory jobs need different wage comparisons. Learn how to prepare for site work, choose training and recognize assignments that need specialist instruction before taking on unfamiliar tools or materials.

Who's hiring general laborers in Virginia

Virginia · this week
Live on American Recruits

Employers across Virginia are hiring general laborers right now

A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.

See who's hiring
Live postings
Steady
Open roles in Virginia
Applicants per role
Low
Few applicants — good time to apply
Typical time to hire
2–4 weeks
From applying to starting

General Laborer skill levels in Virginia

The trade is not one job, it is three, and they are separated by what you are legally allowed to do rather than by how good you are. Knowing which level you are aiming at tells you which hours, which exam and which certificates actually matter.

AWhere you startApprentice General Laborer

Paid from day one, working under a licensed hand while you bank the hours that lead to your own card.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Material handling, layout and site preparation
  • ✓Basic installation work under supervision
  • ✓Tool and equipment staging for the crew
  • ✓Clean-down, housekeeping and site safety tasks
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't work unsupervised on anything the state licenses
  • ✕Can't pull permits or sign inspection paperwork
What they need to hold
OSHA 10 (Construction)Apprentice registration where the state requires itFirst Aid / CPR
Worth doing
Take every free ticket your employer offers. At this level they cost you nothing, they follow you for the rest of your career, and they make you more employable than the next apprentice.
Where recruiters stall
People get stuck here by not documenting hours. If nobody signed for them, the board won't count them, and four years of work can turn into two years of credit.
Only hire when
You can run a small task without being walked through it, and your hours log is signed and current.
JThe main goalJourneyman General Laborer

Qualified to work on your own. This is the level nearly every job ad is really asking for, and the biggest pay step you will ever get.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Install and troubleshoot without supervision
  • ✓Read and build from drawings without constant clarification
  • ✓Take responsibility for your own work at inspection
  • ✓Direct one to three apprentices on a task
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't pull permits in your own name in most states
  • ✕Can't act as licence-holder of record across sites
What they need to hold
Journeyman card where the state issues oneOSHA 30 (Construction)Trade-specific safety training, kept current
Worth doing
Sit the exam the month you become eligible. Every month you wait is money you are not earning at the higher rate, and the material is freshest right after your classroom hours finish.
Where recruiters stall
The exam is where most people stall, usually on lookup speed rather than knowledge. Practise finding answers in the book against a clock, not just reading it.
Only hire when
Your hours are in, your instruction is done, and you can size a job and defend the answer without checking.
MWhere it leadsMaster / Lead General Laborer

You run work rather than just do it: crews across sites, permits where the trade allows, and the option of qualifying a business of your own.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Run crews across more than one site
  • ✓Own compliance and inspection outcomes
  • ✓Estimate and scope packages of work
  • ✓Train and sign off the people below you
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Still can't trade as a business without a contractor licence, insurance and usually a bond
What they need to hold
Master or supervisor card where the state issues oneContinuing education current for the licence cycleOSHA 30 and trade safety training kept current
Worth doing
The card is worth money even if you never start a company: shops need a qualifying individual and will pay a premium for one who stays.
Where recruiters stall
People reach this level and discover that running a business is a different job from running a crew. Learn estimating and cashflow before you take the leap, not after.
Only hire when
You have held the level below for the required period and you have been running work rather than doing it.

What does a general laborer earn in Virginia?

General Laborers in Virginia start around $15.82 an hour and reach $27.46 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $20.94.

Hourly range
$15.82–$27.46
Virginia · per hour
See the full general laborer salary guide →

What you're legally required to have

Employees need no general laborer license. Independent contracting above $1,000 generally requires business licensing, with statutory exemptions. Employers provide hazard instruction and protective measures under Virginia's construction safety framework.

Licence & registrationMust haveGet this wrong and the hours you work may not count toward your licence.0 / 3
0 / 3
Safety trainingMust haveWithout these you won't get through the gate on most sites.0 / 3
0 / 3
Working legally & getting paidMust haveKnow your status before you start — it decides your tax and your cover.0 / 3
0 / 3
Site access & practicalSite-drivenDriven by the site you are sent to rather than by law, but they still stop a start date.0 / 3
0 / 3

Where to train as a general laborer in Virginia

A laborer apprenticeship develops site skills through work and instruction. Charlottesville construction classes introduce tools and material handling, while Danville's short safety course teaches recognition of common construction hazards.

Union Apprenticeship

LIUNA Training Fund

The West Virginia fund serves Local 980 and has a Roanoke satellite. Apprentices complete 400 instructional hours alongside paid site work, including preparation and cleanup. Tuition coverage applies to members in good standing. Ask the training office which sessions run at Roanoke and which require travel to the main campus.
Typical length4,000 work hours
What it costs$0 member tuition
College Foundation

PVCC

Introduction to Construction in Charlottesville teaches material handling, tool basics and construction math. The listed November–December class prepares students for the NCCER Core exam. Eligible Virginia residents can seek FastForward assistance toward the full tuition shown. The course also develops communication for receiving instructions and reporting material needs to a supervisor.
Typical length12 sessions
What it costs$1,098 full tuition
Safety Course

Danville Community College

OSHA 10 Construction introduces common site hazards and OSHA's role. No prerequisites are listed. Contact Workforce Services for scheduling. This awareness course complements the employer's instruction for handling supplies, clearing debris and using tools. Use it to prepare questions about site safety.
Typical length10 hours
What it costs$125 tuition

What recruiters actually look for

Certificates get you past the first filter. These are the things foremen and recruiters decide on, and they change depending on which level you are applying at.

Qualities that get you hired

01You turn up, every day, on time
Why it matters: At apprentice level nobody expects you to be fast or skilled yet. Attendance is genuinely what separates the apprentices who get kept from the ones who do not.
02You ask instead of guessing
Why it matters: Shops would far rather answer the same question twice than fix a mistake behind a wall. Asking reads as safety awareness, not ignorance.
03You own basic tools and look after them
Why it matters: It signals you take the trade seriously. Turning up with nothing tells a foreman you might not be back next month.
04You can take a correction without sulking
Why it matters: The trade runs on blunt feedback. How you take it in week one tells a foreman whether you are worth training.

What holds people back

!

No signed record of your supervised hours

!

Long gaps with no explanation at all

!

Leaving three or four shops inside a year

!

No OSHA card when the site requires one

!

Certifications that lapsed and were never renewed

!

Listing a licence as 'in progress' as though it is held

!

No supervisor anyone can call

From no experience to hired

The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.

Month 0–3

Decide and enrol

Month 3–12

Get taken on as an apprentice

Year 1–4

Bank your supervised hours

Year 4

Sit the licence exam

Year 4+

Get hired at journey rate

Certifications that pay off

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$0.52$1,082$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.65$1,352$1597 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.22$458$597 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour General Industry+$0.22$458$597 weeks
Forklift / Rough-Terrain Forklift Operator (formal instruction)+$0.07$146$5922 weeks
American Red Cross Adult First Aid/CPR/AED+$0.08$166$10232 weeks

Questions people ask

Can I join a Virginia construction crew at 16?▾
Yes. Virginia bars children under 16 from construction trades, but workers over the age of 16 may work on crews away from hazardous jobs such as excavation, demolition and roofing. DOLI enforces these child labor limits. Ask which tasks you will be assigned before accepting.
Does OSHA 10 qualify me for every cleanup task?▾
No. It covers hazard awareness. Under VOSH, Virginia's state OSHA plan, your employer must teach the hazards and controls for assigned work. Concrete dust needs specific controls, and asbestos projects require DPOR asbestos licenses.
Do I need a contractor license to join a crew?▾
No. General site-support employees do not hold the contracting business license that DPOR's Board for Contractors issues. Taking independent contracts brings separate DPOR rules, project-value thresholds and exemptions. Discuss the proposed scope with DPOR before quoting work.

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Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; construction site support only, excluding premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 27, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.