Wages vary with training, experience and location. Entry level wages may be lower. National Wages Union workers generally receive higher wages than nonunion workers. Apprentices receive wages that are about half that of skilled workers. As they gain experience and skill, apprentices receive higher wages.
Cement masons can lose work time because of bad weather or downturns in construction activity.
Thus, their overall earnings may be lower than these wages suggest. Most cement masons and terrazzo workers must provide their own health insurance and retirement plan. This is because the small companies they work for are unlikely to provide benefits. There were 3,830 people employed as concrete and terrazzo finishers in Indiana in 1998. It is estimated that between 1996 and 2006, about 189 jobs per year will need to be filled in this occupation.