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Carpenter

Skilled Trades

Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. May also install cabinets, siding, drywall, and batt or roll insulation. Includes brattice builders who build doors or brattices (ventilation walls or partitions) in underground passageways.

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

Architecture & Built Environment

What you'd do all day

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

  1. 1Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
  2. 2Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
  3. 3Assemble and fasten materials to make frameworks or props, using hand tools and wood screws, nails, dowel pins, or glue.
  4. 4Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.
  5. 5Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
  6. 6Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
  7. 7Cover subfloors with building paper to keep out moisture and lay hardwood, parquet, or wood-strip-block floors by nailing floors to subfloor or cementing them to mastic or asphalt base.
  8. 8Construct forms or chutes for pouring concrete.
  9. 9Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
  10. 10Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.
  11. 11Inspect ceiling or floor tile, wall coverings, siding, glass, or woodwork to detect broken or damaged structures.
  12. 12Erect scaffolding or ladders for assembling structures above ground level.
  13. 13Finish surfaces of woodwork or wallboard in houses or buildings, using paint, hand tools, or paneling.
  14. 14Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
  15. 15Maintain records, document actions, and present written progress reports.
  16. 16Select and order lumber or other required materials.
  17. 17Remove damaged or defective parts or sections of structures and repair or replace, using hand tools.
  18. 18Work with or remove hazardous material.
  19. 19Fill cracks or other defects in plaster or plasterboard and sand patch, using patching plaster, trowel, and sanding tool.
  20. 20Maintain job records and schedule work crew.
  21. 21Anchor and brace forms and other structures in place, using nails, bolts, anchor rods, steel cables, planks, wedges, and timbers.
  22. 22Prepare cost estimates for clients or employers.
  23. 23Bore boltholes in timber, masonry or concrete walls, using power drill.
  24. 24Install rough door and window frames, subflooring, fixtures, or temporary supports in structures undergoing construction or repair.
  25. 25Perform minor plumbing, welding, or concrete mixing work.
  26. 26Dig or direct digging of post holes and set poles to support structures.
  27. 27Apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative paneling to ceilings or walls.
  28. 28Examine structural timbers and supports to detect decay, and replace timbers as required, using hand tools, nuts, and bolts.
  29. 29Build sleds from logs and timbers for use in hauling camp buildings and machinery through wooded areas.

Also known as

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

  • Hewer
  • Sider
  • Bracer
  • Ceiler
  • Cooper
  • Framer
  • Lather
  • Molder
  • Roofer
  • Jointer

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

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 Construction93%

    Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics78%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Administration and Management78%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Design77%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Engineering and Technology72%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Public Safety and Security70%

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 peopleConstant contact
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • 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 drones for site surveying and to inspect hard-to-reach areas of a structure.

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.

4%

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.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

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

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

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: Carpenters

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