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Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-5041

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$61,810
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
1,900
Proj. Annual Openings
14,000
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-0.7%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 47-5041 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
60/100
High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$61,810
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
1,900
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +0.6%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 2,162 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlEquipment MaintenanceCritical ThinkingTroubleshooting

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure1.2%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

11.9%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI0%
AI ability · AIOE35.8%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne54%

Top Skills

1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Equipment Maintenance
4.Critical Thinking
5.Troubleshooting

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation.

Common titles: Bore Miner Operator, Continuous Miner, Continuous Miner Operator (CMO), Continuous Mining Machine Operator, Continuous Mining Operator (CMO), Heavy Equipment Operator

Representative Tasks

  • Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
  • Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.
  • Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.
  • Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.
  • Drive machines into position at working faces.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Position safety or support equipment.
  • Test air quality at work sites.
  • Inspect completed work to ensure proper installation.
  • Operate mining equipment.
  • Position construction or extraction equipment.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotMicrosoft Word · hotFleet monitoring system softwareHitachi ZXLinkLeica Geosystems FMS

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
1.2%
Avg AI Exposure
12
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 47-5041: 2019 — employment: 14,630, median wage: $55,280; 2020 — employment: 14,990, median wage: $56,920; 2021 — employment: 14,740, median wage: $60,300; 2022 — employment: 13,500, median wage: $57,360; 2023 — employment: 15,700, median wage: $61,420; 2025 — employment: 14,000, median wage: $61,810.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%1.2%
OutlookAverage70% Bright
Median Salary$61,810N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A