Helpers--Extraction Workers
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-5081
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 47-5081 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $47,730
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -1.7%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,857 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
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
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
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
Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area.
Common titles: Continuous Miner Operator Helper, Driller Helper, Driller's Assistant, Longwall Machine Operator Helper, Miner Helper, Powderman
Representative Tasks
- •Observe and monitor equipment operation during the extraction process to detect any problems.
- •Drive moving equipment to transport materials and parts to excavation sites.
- •Unload materials, devices, and machine parts, using hand tools.
- •Set up and adjust equipment used to excavate geological materials.
- •Organize materials to prepare for use.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.
- •Monitor extraction operations.
- •Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment.
- •Load or unload materials used in construction or extraction.
- •Operate mining equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 70% Bright |
| Median Salary | $47,730 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |