Like most business sectors, there is also substantial white-collar employment in construction - 681,000 US workers were recorded by the United States Department of Labor as in 'office and administrative support occupations' in May 2021. In the United States, for example, in May 2021 the construction sector employed just over 7.5 million people, of whom just over 820,000 were laborers, while 573,000 were carpenters, 508,000 were electricians, 258,000 were equipment operators and 230,000 were construction managers. Laborers comprise a large grouping in most national construction industries.
The term is a broad, generic one and most such workers are primarily described by the specific level and type of work they perform. Under safety legislation in the United Kingdom, for example, construction workers are defined as people "who work for or under the control of a contractor on a construction site" in Canada, this can include people whose work includes ensuring conformance with building codes and regulations, and those who supervise other workers.