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Bricklayer & Blockmason

Skilled Trades

Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Architecture & Built Environment

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA construction site

  • Outdoors most days, in all weather
  • On your feet for most of the day
  • Dealing with customers or the public
  • Shifts or irregular hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Quick answers

How do you become a Bricklayer & Blockmason in Malaysia?

Routes after SPM that lead here include Asasi / Foundation and Diploma.

Can I become a Bricklayer & Blockmason straight after SPM?

Yes. This career can be started with a certificate, diploma or TVET training straight after SPM, without a degree.

What should I study to become a Bricklayer & Blockmason?

Related fields of study: Architecture & Built Environment. SPM subjects that help most: Civil Engineering Studies, Engineering Drawing, Design & Technology (RBT) and Additional Mathematics.

How much does a Bricklayer & Blockmason earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Bricklayer & Blockmason pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
  2. 2Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
  3. 3Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
  4. 4Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
  5. 5Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
  6. 6Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
  7. 7Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
  8. 8Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
  9. 9Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
  10. 10Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures.
  11. 11Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.
  12. 12Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
  13. 13Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel.
  14. 14Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Liner
  • Mason
  • Fitter
  • Setter
  • Tender
  • Patcher
  • Reliner
  • Blockmason
  • Bricklayer
  • Brickmason

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Civil Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Building and Construction95%

    Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics69%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • English Language65%

    English

  • Public Safety and Security63%
  • Production and Processing62%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Design62%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Indoors, air-conditionedRarely
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingAlmost none
  • Time spent standingAlmost all the time

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Use drone technology to inspect and assess the condition of tall structures.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 20 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

11 of 20 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM750 – RM2,000

11 of 20 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM750 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.

Professional bodies named

Built-environment board, CIDB, BEM

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org