OSCA 732331

Miner

Overview

  • Employed persons

    49,100

  • Employment status

    93.2% Full time

    6.8% Part time

  • Median age

    42 years

  • Employment by sex

    11.1% Female

    88.9% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    7.1%

  • Main employing industry

    Mining

Indicator Miner Total employment
Employed persons 49,100 12,049,400
Median age 42 years 40 years
Full-time share 93.2% 64.2%
Part-time share 6.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 11.1% 48.5%
Male employment share 88.9% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 7.1% 2.2%
Main employing industry Mining Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Miners operate plant to excavate, load and transport coal, ore, rock and other minerals in an underground or open-cut mine.

What the occupation involves

  • Operates mining equipment to excavate coal, ore, rock and other minerals
  • Loads materials onto trucks or conveyors for transportation
  • Inspects equipment and performs routine maintenance and repairs
  • Follows mining plans and procedures to extract minerals from the earth
  • Assists in the installation and maintenance of underground support systems
  • Collects and analyses samples to determine the quality and composition of minerals

Common occupation titles

  • Mining Operator
  • Mining Plant Operator

Specialisations

  • Ancillary Operator (Mining)
  • Bogger Operator
  • Coal Miner
  • Dragline Operator
  • Gold Miner
  • Iron Ore Miner
  • Opal Miner
  • Underground Truck Operator

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 4
equivalent to a lower‑level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate II or III).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

Registration or licensing may be required.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Miner Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Mining 69.7% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Construction 10.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Manufacturing 6.1% Construction 8.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 3.6% Education and Training 8.8%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 1.6% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 1.0% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.9% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.8% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Wholesale Trade 0.8% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      26.3%

    • Victoria

      5.8%

    • Queensland

      31.0%

    • South Australia

      5.0%

    • Tasmania

      1.9%

    • Northern Territory

      1.2%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.1%

    Miner Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 12,900 26.3% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 2,800 5.8% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 15,200 31.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 2,500 5.0% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 14,000 28.6% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 920 1.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 580 1.2% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 70 0.1% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Miner

    Total employment

    Age group Miner Total employment
    15–24 years 6.6% 14.3%
    25–34 years 22.6% 22.7%
    35–44 years 26.7% 22.3%
    45–54 years 25.0% 20.4%
    55–64 years 16.5% 15.3%
    65–74 years 2.4% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Miner Total employment
    Female 11.1% 48.5%
    Male 88.9% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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