Mining

A vast array of careers are available to workers of all educational levels, from high school graduates to those with advanced college degrees. Employment opportunities can be found in all areas from laborers such as blasters, miners, or construction equipment operators to clerical, sales, or transportation positions. Employment for engineers, including design, civil, electrical, mechanical, architectural, sanitation, and water supply engineers, or scientists and lawyers is available for professionals with degrees in those fields. Other positions in mining include maintenance, mechanics, machinists, drafters, electricians, and instrumentation technicians.

In addition to major companies, there are countless small shop operators that specialize in various aspects of the industry, such as strip mining, stripping overburden, mineral analysis, drilling mine shafts, and helping companies comply with recently enacted federal environmental regulations that affect the industry.

The coronavirus pandemic caused business closures and an economic slowdown which affected many industries around the world in 2020. The mining industry, which is globalized, experienced a steep decline in revenue during the pandemic. The research group IBISWorld attributed this revenue drop to "changes in commodity prices, reduced economic activity, and shocks to global supply chains stemming from the global health pandemic." The economy is recovering post pandemic, and global industries, including mining, have resumed normal business operations. A National Mining Association article pointed out that, moving forward, "where battery metals and other mineral outputs are sourced domestically, the U.S. can be a leader in cutting-edge technologies for electrified vehicles, critical defense applications, and a diversified energy supply." In 2023, the U.S. mining industry consisted of 94,356 businesses, with a total employment of 563,020 people, representing a .6 percent decline from 2018 through 2023.

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that overall employment growth in mining will be slower than the average through 2033. About 2 percent employment growth is expected for mining and geological engineers, for example, through 2033. Job growth will depend on demand for coal, metals, and minerals, all resources that are used in many products, such as smartphones, computers, construction materials, and electric vehicles. Increasing demand for these products may create employment opportunities for mining and geological engineers, but job growth may be offset by the growth of automated mining operations.

According to the National Mining Association, in 2021 the mining industry employed or indirectly sustained jobs for more than 1.2 million workers. There were about 12,600 operations that mine for coal, metal ores, and non-metallic metals, and about 459,000 people who worked directly for mines. The remainder were support workers for mines, and others worked in transportation and other professions connected to mining. That total included underground and surface mine workers, processing plant workers, employees at independent shops and yards, and office staff. More than 40 percent of miners worked in coal mining. The market research group IBISWorld reports that the U.S. mining industry is a nearly $759 billion business.

Since the demand for energy, metallic, and nonmetallic minerals is low, opportunities for miners are expected to decline. While coal consumption is expected to increase, it will supply a smaller share of U.S. energy consumption as it is replaced by other renewable, more environmentally friendly sources. Recent regulatory strictures, such as The Clean Air Act Amendments (which went into effect in 1995), which aim to control environmental damage such as acid rain, mandate expensive compliance measures by coal-burning utilities, therefore affecting coal producers on the whole. Technological advances and labor-saving equipment have greatly reduced the number of production workers. For example, advances in longwall and surface mining and improvements in transportation and processing have increased productivity, but require fewer employees.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that of the areas of mining industries that it studied, only one had shown any productivity gains from 2022 to 2023: oil and gas extraction had increased by nearly 6 percent in that time frame. Petroleum and gas productivity had also increased by 4.7 percent from 2022 to 2023. The output of metal ore has declined in recent years while labor costs have risen, representing labor struggles in the industry that are expected to continue. As stated by the BLS, "U.S. metal ore mining companies have increased hourly compensation... however, this effort has not resulted in significant increases in employment." The future outlook for metal mining varies depending on the material that is mined, but for all metals there will be increased competition from international markets. Mining operations in other countries have lower labor costs and are subject to fewer government regulations.