Mining Engineer

Mining engineers work out how ore or coal comes out of the ground, designing the pits, tunnels and schedules a mine operates to.

Median salary: $182,900; 4.2%vs last year, before tax
People employed: 17,300; 1.8%vs last year
Projected growth: +18.5%; to 2035
AI exposure*: Moderate; 6 out of 10
Average hours: 50/wk; +10h vs all jobs
Shortage status: In shortage; national

You could work at an open cut or underground mine site, in a company office in the city, or on a fly in, fly out roster from another state.
Geologists find the deposit and estimate how much metal or coal it holds; mining engineers decide how to get it out, and at what cost.
An engineering degree accredited by Engineers Australia is the qualification you need to practise, and most graduates start their careers on a mine site.

How much do mining engineers earn?

The median full-time salary for a mining engineer is $182,900 per annum, before tax, up $38,400 since 2018.

A remote site on a long roster usually comes with allowances and a production bonus that an office role does not, so two jobs with the same title can pay quite differently. Employers often quote a total package that folds in site allowance, bonuses and super, so ask what sits inside the figure and how much of it depends on production or the commodity price. On fly in, fly out rosters, check whether travel time and camp costs are covered or come out of your own pocket.

Median annual salary, 2018–2028

Median annual salary (AUD/year), Modelled trend anchored to a real ABS Employee Earnings figure, interim years are indicative, not a real yearly series. 2025-2028 is a projection from that anchor using the real ABS Wage Price Index annual growth rate (3.2%, June quarter 2026), not a role-specific forecast., Estimate
Period	Median annual salary (AUD/year)	Change
2018	144,500	-
2019	150,800	+6,300
2020	155,900	+5,100
2021	162,700	+6,800
2022	169,800	+7,100
2023	175,500	+5,700
2024	182,900	+7,400
2025estimated	188,800	+5,900
2026estimated	194,800	+6,000
2027projected	201,000	+6,200
2028projected	207,500	+6,500

The median salary rose by $38,400 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.

Full mining engineer salary breakdown →

What does a mining engineer do day to day?

The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.

Designing pit walls, ramps and underground stopes in planning software such as Vulcan or Surpac, checking each layout against the geotechnical model
Building the case for a deposit or an expansion, weighing ore grade and recovery against stripping and haulage costs
Walking the workings to check ventilation, ground support and emergency egress, and signing off on controls before the next firing
Sitting in with the drill and blast crew to adjust a pattern when the rock comes back harder than the model predicted
Reporting production, incidents and compliance figures to the mine manager and the state regulator

What skills do mining engineers need?

Employers look for engineering design and analysis, project engineering and delivery, cAD and technical drawing, backed by Mine planning software (Maptek Vulcan, Surpac) fluency and strong problem solving.

Specialist skills

Engineering design and analysis
Project engineering and delivery
CAD and technical drawing
Risk and internal controls
Budgeting and forecasting
Field inspection and testing
Project management

Software and tools

Mine planning software (Maptek Vulcan, Surpac)
CAD platforms (AutoCAD, MicroStation)
Geotechnical modelling software
Mine simulation tools
GIS and surveying instruments

General skills

Problem solving

Specialist skills

Engineering design and analysis: A pit wall or stope design starts with the geotechnical model, which sets the slope angles and ground support the rock can carry. Getting it wrong shows up as a wall failure or a fall of ground, so the loads are checked against the rock structure before the plan is signed off.
Project engineering and delivery: Mining engineers take a project through feasibility, approvals, construction and commissioning, keeping schedule, budget and the safety case aligned across contractors and site teams. On a new decline or plant upgrade they are the person who knows what must happen before the next stage starts.
CAD and technical drawing: Drawings of pit layouts, ramps, drill patterns and ventilation circuits are how a plan reaches the crews who build it, so a mining engineer has to produce and read them accurately rather than leaving it to someone else.
Risk and internal controls: Mining engineers identify the hazards that come with each design and keep the controls that manage them working, from ground support standards to emergency egress. The state regulator expects those controls to be documented and tested, and a serious incident usually brings an inspection of that paperwork.
Budgeting and forecasting: Cost per tonne, capital spend and the life-of-mine plan sit with the mining engineer, who weighs ore grade and recovery against stripping, haulage and processing costs when deciding what is worth mining. A forecast that misses haulage can make a marginal pit look better than it is.
Field inspection and testing: Time on the workings is where the plan meets the rock, checking ventilation, ground support and egress, and seeing how a blast actually broke before signing off the next firing. The model on the screen is only as good as what the engineer sees underground.
Project management: Mining engineers coordinate drill and blast crews, geologists, surveyors and contractors against a weekly and monthly schedule, adjusting when weather, breakdowns or harder rock push the plan out. What they hand over is a schedule the operation can actually run.

Software and tools

Mine planning software (Maptek Vulcan, Surpac): Vulcan and Surpac are where pit shells, stopes and production schedules are designed and costed, and they are the everyday working tools in mining planning offices.
CAD platforms (AutoCAD, MicroStation): AutoCAD and MicroStation are used for the drawings that go out to contractors and site crews, covering pit layouts, ramps, ventilation and services.
Geotechnical modelling software: Geotechnical software tests slope angles and stope designs against rock strength and structure, so the engineer can see where a wall or a hanging wall is likely to fail before it is mined.
Mine simulation tools: Simulation tools model haul cycles, fleet numbers and production rates across a shift, showing where trucks queue or a loader sits idle before the plan is committed.
GIS and surveying instruments: Survey data and GIS maps feed the geological and pit models, and mining engineers use them to check that what was mined matches the design and to update the plan.

General skills

Problem solving: When the rock is harder than the model, a pump fails or the schedule slips, the mining engineer works out the cheapest safe way to keep the operation moving.

Is the job growing?

About 17,300 people work as mining engineers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 18.5% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.

Employment, 2015–2024, projected to 2035

Employment (workers), Modelled trend anchored to a real Jobs and Skills Australia employment figure, interim years are indicative, not a real yearly series, Estimate
Period	Employment (workers)	Change
2015	14,900	-
2016	15,200	+300
2017	15,300	+100
2018	15,700	+400
2019	16,000	+300
2020	16,100	+100
2021	16,500	+400
2022	16,800	+300
2023	17,000	+200
2024	17,300	+300
2027projected	18,300	+1,000
2029projected	19,000	+700
2031projected	19,700	+700
2033projected	20,400	+700
2035projected	21,200	+800

Employment rose by 2,400 between 2015 and 2024; the dashed line shows the official projection to 2035.

How do you become a mining engineer?

Here's the path most mining engineers take, step by step.

1
Year 12 maths and physics
Mining engineering degrees assume strong maths. Most universities ask for Maths Methods or equivalent, and physics or chemistry helps with the first-year subjects.
2
An accredited mining engineering degree
The standard entry is a four-year Bachelor of Engineering with a mining major, accredited by Engineers Australia. Vacation work on a mine site during the degree is how most students line up their first job.
3
A graduate program on site
Graduate intakes rotate you through short term scheduling, drill and blast and production roles over one to three years. This is where you build the ground knowledge the degree only introduces, and it usually decides which technical path opens later.
4
Registration and further study
Engineers Australia's National Engineering Register is voluntary, but Queensland's RPEQ scheme requires registration for engineers providing services to the public, and other states are moving in the same direction, so check which scheme applies in the state where you'd be based. A postgraduate qualification in geotechnical engineering, ventilation or business is common alongside the degree.

Study routes we have checked

Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mining)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional-engineering programme in the named discipline. Engineering technologist and associate awards are different routes. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.

Ready to apply as a mining engineer?

Whether you're working toward becoming a mining engineer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.

Resume templateExample bullet points grounded in this role's real tasks.View & download →Cover letter templateA structured letter with role-specific example content.View & download →Interview questionsWhat people are actually asked, and why.View & download →

What jobs can a mining engineer move to?

Moving into Engineering Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $100 a year more on average.

Mining Engineer

$182,900

$183,000+$100

$135,900−$47,000

$132,800−$50,100

$115,300−$67,600

$195,100+$12,200

Chief Executive Officer

$182,000−$900

General Manager

$148,200−$34,700

Engineering ManagerRecorded move
$183,000+$100
Mechanical EngineerRecorded move
$135,900−$47,000
Electrical EngineerRecorded move
$132,800−$50,100
Civil EngineerRecorded move
$115,300−$67,600

Recorded in tax dataSuggested from skill overlap

Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.

Move to	Typical pay change	Overlap	Retraining
Engineering Manager Mining engineers move into engineering management, applying project delivery and team leadership, with further study in management.Known move	+$100	33%	reskill
Mechanical Engineer Mining engineers bring heavy equipment and systems knowledge to mechanical engineering roles, though mechanical design study is needed.Known move	−$47,000	36%	reskill
Electrical Engineer Mining engineers with electrical systems exposure can shift into electrical engineering, carrying project and systems skills with minimal retraining.Known move	−$50,100	62%	minimal
Civil Engineer Mining engineers carry earthworks, site design and project delivery into civil engineering, needing little retraining for the shift.Known move	−$67,600	62%	minimal
Geotechnical Engineer Mining engineers move into geotechnical work using ground control and slope stability knowledge, with minimal retraining required.Known move	−$67,600	45%	reskill

Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.

Who works as a mining engineer?

The typical mining engineer is 40 years old; 85% are men, 93% work full-time, and full-timers average 50 hours a week.

40
Median age: 15%
Female share: 93%
Full-time: +10h
vs all-jobs avg

What's it like being a mining engineer?

Your week splits between a desk and the pit floor or the underground workings, running schedules and designs at one and checking them against real ground at the other. Many sites work to a roster such as eight days on and six off, or a fly in, fly out swing, and shifts run long while you're there. Production targets and safety carry equal weight, so a design change or a delayed stope shows up in the haulage figures within days. The appeal is watching a plan you drew turn into something physical before the week is out, and that feedback arrives quickly in this job.

What people like

Your designs meet real ground. A stope or a pit wall either holds or it doesn't, so you find out within weeks whether your assumptions were sound.
The crews tell you straight. Operators, fitters and shotfirers work alongside you and will say when a design is slowing them down, which shortens the distance between the plan and the pit.
Wide technical range. One month is geotechnics and ventilation, the next is cost modelling and a regulator submission, so the work doesn't narrow into one specialty.
Responsibility comes early. Graduates on site often own a real area of the mine within a year or two, planning it and answering for the numbers.

What people find hard

Rosters keep you away from home. A two and one swing means weeks in camp at a time, and plenty of family occasions fall in the weeks you're away.
Long shifts in hard conditions. Twelve-hour shifts in Pilbara heat or humid underground workings are draining, and the hours stay long in office-based roles too.
Production pressure against safety. When the schedule slips, pressure to keep tonnes moving comes from several directions at once, and you are the person who signs off that it's safe to proceed.
Paperwork grows with the job. Statutory reporting, environmental compliance and sign-offs take more time than the design work people picture when they choose the degree.

Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.

Which industries employ mining engineers?

Mining employs the largest share of mining engineers, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

Top employing industries

1Mining
2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
3Wholesale Trade

Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.

Highest qualification held
Bachelor degree		58.5%
Postgraduate		28.2%
Diploma / Advanced Diploma		4.8%
Certificate III/IV		3.7%
Year 12 or below		3.1%

Will AI replace mining engineers?

6out of 10

Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.

Mine planning software already runs the routine calculations, and the exposure sits in the desk work: scheduling, orebody modelling, cost estimation and reporting. What holds up is the part that depends on ground you can't fully see, deciding how to change a pit wall or a stope when conditions differ from the model. Anyone entering the field should get fluent in Vulcan or Surpac and protect their time on the pit floor, because the engineer who can read both the screen and the rock face is the one sites hold on to.

How a typical week splits

30%

AI already does a lot of this

of a typical working week

Production scheduling and reporting
30% of the week
Weekly and monthly schedules are built in planning software, and the statutory reporting that goes with them is largely automated already.

55%

AI helps, you still do it

of a typical working week

Pit and stope design
30% of the week
The software generates the geometry and the volumes, but judging whether a design suits the ground you're actually mining is still the engineer's call.
Drill and blast planning
25% of the week
Pattern tools propose a layout, while adjusting it when a face comes up harder than the model predicted comes from being there.

15%

Stays with people

of a typical working week

Ground control and ventilation checks
15% of the week
Inspecting stope backs, checking mesh and measuring airflow means going underground with a lamp, an anemometer and your own eyes.

How we work this out

We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.

Moves least exposed to AI

These career moves from mining engineer work are rated low for AI exposure:

Civil Engineer
High skill overlap (62%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.

Common questions about becoming a mining engineer

Straight answers to the questions people ask most.

How much does a mining engineer earn in Australia?

Full-time mining engineers earn a median of $182,900 per year before tax. Site roles on a roster usually carry allowances and a production bonus that a city office job does not. Ask how the package is built up before signing a contract.

How do you become a mining engineer?

The standard entry is a four-year engineering degree with a mining major, accredited by Engineers Australia, followed by a graduate program with a mining company. That graduate year on site is where you learn the scheduling, ventilation and ground control work the degree only introduces. Engineers whose degree is in another discipline can add mining study later, though they usually need to requalify.

Are mining engineers in demand in Australia?

Mining engineers are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 18.5% over the decade to 2035. Openings come up in site operations, consultancies and equipment suppliers, though hiring follows the commodity cycle and can tighten quickly when prices fall.

Will AI replace mining engineers?

Scheduling, cost estimation and routine reporting are the tasks where software has made the biggest inroads. Judgement calls that carry legal responsibility, such as approving a ground support design or a ventilation change, stay with a registered engineer. Learn the planning software your site runs on, and keep your underground time up.

Where can mining engineers move next?

Mining engineers move into civil, geotechnical and electrical engineering, where the earthworks, ground control and project delivery skills carry across, and into engineering management once they've run enough projects. A number set up their own consulting or contracting business, often after a decade on site, which trades steady site allowances for the freedom to choose projects and the work of finding the next client.

Do you have to work fly in, fly out as a mining engineer?

No. Plenty of mining engineers live in the town where the mine is, and there are city roles in consulting, corporate planning and equipment supply. FIFO is common on remote sites in Western Australia and Queensland, and roster length varies a lot between companies, so ask about it at interview.

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How much do mining engineers earn?

What does a mining engineer do day to day?

What skills do mining engineers need?

Specialist skills

Software and tools

General skills

Specialist skills

Software and tools

General skills

Is the job growing?

How do you become a mining engineer?

Study routes we have checked

Ready to apply as a mining engineer?

What jobs can a mining engineer move to?

Who works as a mining engineer?

What's it like being a mining engineer?

What people like

What people find hard

Which industries employ mining engineers?

Top employing industries

Will AI replace mining engineers?

How a typical week splits

Moves least exposed to AI

Common questions about becoming a mining engineer

Related roles

Career advice