Opportunities should be excellent because job openings are expected to grow faster than the number of workers being trained. Work is usually outdoors, requires lifting heavy bricks and blocks, and sometimes involves working on scaffolds. Nearly 3 out of every 10 bricklayers and stonemasons are self-employed. The work varies in complexity, from laying a simple masonry walkway to installing an ornate exterior of a high-rise building. Additionally, bricklayers specialize in installing firebrick linings in industrial furnaces.
Stonemasons build stone walls, as well as set stone exteriors and floors.
Stonemasons usually work on nonresidential structures, such as houses of worship, hotels, and office buildings. Due to the precision needed, these corner leads are time consuming to erect and require the skills of experienced bricklayers. After the corner leads are complete, less experienced bricklayers fill in the wall between the corners, using a line from corner to corner to guide each course , or layer, of brick. Because of the expense associated with building corner leads, an increasing number of bricklayers use corner poles, also called masonry guides, that enable them to build an entire wall at the same time. This line serves as a guide for each course of brick.