Construction labor staffing: how it works for contractors

How construction staffing works

A construction staffing agency recruits, screens and employs laborers and trade helpers, then sends them to your site for as long as you need them. You direct the work. The agency handles payroll, tax withholding, workers' compensation and replacements.

1. 1You place an order with the role, headcount, start date, site address, hours, required PPE and certifications.
2. 2The agency matches workers with the right experience and credentials, such as OSHA-10 cards.
3. 3Workers report to your foreman, who briefs them and directs the work.
4. 4Your foreman approves hours, usually daily or weekly.
5. 5The agency invoices you at the agreed hourly bill rate and pays the workers.

You can scale up or down with notice, keep the workers who fit your crew and release the ones who do not.

Roles that fit staffing well

Staffing works best for roles where a capable person can be productive on day one under your foreman's direction:

• Construction laborers for material handling, site cleanup, digging and general support
• Carpenter helpers and carpenters for framing, forms and finish work
• Drywall installers and painters
• Electrician helpers and plumber helpers working under licensed tradespeople
• Demolition workers, mason helpers and solar installer helpers
• Flaggers for work zones, and cleanup crews for turnover

Licensed trade work, such as electrical or plumbing that requires a license in your state, still needs a licensed professional. Helpers work under that person's supervision.

Safety, OSHA and certifications

Under OSHA guidance, the host contractor and the staffing agency share responsibility for temp worker safety. The contractor controls the site and provides site-specific training and supervision. The agency makes sure workers are trained for the type of work and checks on conditions.

Before the first day, agree in writing on:

• Required training. Many sites require an OSHA-10 card for all workers and OSHA-30 for leads. Some states require OSHA-10 on certain public projects.
• PPE. Hard hat, safety glasses, hi-vis, gloves and safety-toe boots are common minimums. Decide who supplies each item, and who supplies task-specific gear like fall protection or respirators.
• Tasks that are off-limits. For example, no operating equipment the worker is not trained on, and no work at height without fall protection training.
• Injury reporting. Who the worker tells, who calls the agency and where the nearest clinic is.

Our guide to OSHA-10 for construction labor explains what the card covers.

How billing works

Construction staffing is billed per approved hour at a bill rate that covers the worker's pay, payroll taxes, workers' compensation, insurance and the agency's costs. Workers' comp for construction job classes costs more than for most other industries, which is why construction markups are typically higher than, say, hospitality markups at similar pay. The bill rate vs pay rate guide explains the components.

Things to settle up front:

• How overtime is billed, and whether your schedule will trigger it
• Whether any prevailing wage or certified payroll rules apply to the project
• Rain days: what happens if the site is shut down after workers arrive
• Travel or per diem for out-of-area projects
• Conversion terms if you want to hire a worker onto your own crew

Our pricing page shows indicative rates by role; a dispatcher confirms the rate for your project.

Staffing vs growing your own crew

Staffing is not a replacement for a strong core crew. It is a way to protect that crew from the peaks and valleys of the schedule. A useful way to decide:

Many contractors use temp-to-hire as a hiring pipeline: laborers who prove themselves across a project get offered a permanent spot. At Crew Staffing Pros, the conversion fee decreases the more hours a worker has put in, so keeping a good worker for a full project makes hiring them cheaper at the end. See staffing solutions for the options.

Setting up a crew that fits your schedule

The contractors who get the most from staffing treat the agency like a sub: they share the schedule early and keep it updated.

• Share your phase schedule so the agency can line up workers before each ramp.
• Keep a core of repeat workers across phases, and add surge labor around them.
• Tell dispatch as soon as a date slips, so workers are not sent to a site that is not ready.
• Give quick feedback. A short note on who to keep and who to replace improves every future order.

Crew Staffing Pros employs construction crews on W-2 with workers' comp, backed by live dispatch 7 days a week and a written no-show guarantee. See construction staffing, or request workers for your next phase.