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Stonemason

Also called mason, stone mason, fixer mason

Stonemasons manually carve and assemble stone for construction purposes. While CNC operated carving equipment is the industry standard, artisanal carving for ornamental stone is still done manually.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects18 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians)What does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,000 (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians)What do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians)Will AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers · ILO

What you'd do

Stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers · ILO
  • Driving wedges into quarried stone to break it into slabs or blocks
  • Selecting and grading slabs and blocks of granite, marble, and other stone
  • Cutting, shaping and finishing building and monumental stone such as granite or marble using hand tools or hand-held power tools
  • Making patterns and marking shapes on stone for subsequent sawing, planing, drilling and other dressing and cutting operations
  • Cutting and carving characters, figures or designs on stone blocks used for monuments or memorials
  • Setting stone in the erection of monuments and memorials
  • Repairing and replacing stonework on old buildings, churches and monuments
Use safety equipment in constructionFollow health and safety procedures in constructionTransport construction suppliesInspect construction suppliesInterpret 2D plans+ 13 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Mostly outdoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Stonemasons"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as building and related trades workers (excluding electricians) in the EU
7.48m8.08m7.63m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
1,849,000 replacing leavers 394,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians)18
All jobs29
Right now
7 of 27 countries report a shortage of stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers, 5 a surplus.
Stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among craft and related trades workers in the EU, women earn 26% less per hour than men. Craft and related trades workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of building and related trades workers (excluding electricians) (EU, 2025)
Degree 7%Vocational 50%General secondary 8%Basic schooling 35%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Very little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.11 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 7 tasks
Selecting and grading slabs and blocks of granite, marble, and other stone0.14
Making patterns and marking shapes on stone for subsequent sawing, planing, drilling and other dressing and cutting operations0.14
Cutting and carving characters, figures or designs on stone blocks used for monuments or memorials0.12
Cutting, shaping and finishing building and monumental stone such as granite or marble using hand tools or hand-held power tools0.11
Repairing and replacing stonework on old buildings, churches and monuments0.10
Setting stone in the erection of monuments and memorials0.09
Driving wedges into quarried stone to break it into slabs or blocks0.07

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).