How to become a Helpers--Extraction Worker

Official title: Helpers--Extraction Workers

Also called: Continuous Miner Operator Helper, Driller Helper, Driller's Assistant, Longwall Machine Operator Helper, Miner Helper, Powderman, Salt Miner

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.

Main 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.
• Repair and maintain automotive and drilling equipment, using hand tools.
• Clean up work areas and remove debris after extraction activities are complete.
• Clean and prepare sites for excavation or boring.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Miner I (Mine & Quarry).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $47,730 a year The middle half earn $41,430 to $57,920.
• About 7,100 people work in this job now, and about 7,200 are projected by 2035. (+1.7%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
• Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
• Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
• Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Helpers--Extraction Worker?

Ways in include: Miner I (Mine & Quarry).

How much does a Helpers--Extraction Worker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $47,730 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $41,430 to $57,920.

Is a Helpers--Extraction Worker a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 7,100 people now and 7,200 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Helpers--Extraction Worker?

Usually not. Only 8% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Miner I (Mine & Quarry).

Will AI change the work of a Helpers--Extraction Worker?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.