Mining Labourer
Mining labourers do the manual work on a mine site, keeping plant fuelled, work areas clear and extraction crews supplied.
- Median salary*
- $96,200
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 1,800
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- −3%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 46/wk
+6h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- In shortage (regional)
national
Mining labourers work on surface and underground mine sites, often on remote rosters that involve fly-in fly-out or drive-in drive-out arrangements. Theirs is a support role rather than an extraction one: the person running the loader or the drill is a different job, while labourers clear the spillage, move the consumables and keep the site safe to work in. Most of the work sits in metal ore and coal mining, oil and gas, and the contractors that service them.
How much do mining labourers earn?
The median full-time salary for a mining labourer is $96,200 per annum, before tax, up $19,800 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the roster and the site: remote operations generally pay more than mine sites near a town, and underground work attracts a loading on top of surface rates. Enterprise agreements set base rates at the large miners, while labour hire and contract work can add site allowances, overtime and completion bonuses. Casual and short-term contract roles pay more per hour but give you no paid leave.
What does a mining labourer 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.
- Digging and shovelling ore, rock and spillage away from conveyors and walkways
- Spotting trucks, loaders and other heavy plant during reversing and tipping
- Cleaning, refuelling and topping up fluids on machinery between shifts
- Installing and maintaining site services such as pumps, pipes and ventilation
- Handling drill rods, consumables and site supplies and getting them to the right crew
What skills do mining labourers need?
Employers look for worksite safety management, hand and power tool work, plant and equipment operation, backed by Two-way radios fluency and strong physical stamina and dexterity.
Specialist skills
- Worksite safety management
- Hand and power tool work
- Plant and equipment operation
- Installation and maintenance
- Cleaning and grounds maintenance
- Driving and transport operations
Software and tools
- Two-way radios
- High-pressure water cleaners
- Angle grinders
- Handheld gas detectors
- Forklift trucks
General skills
- Physical stamina and dexterity
Is the job growing?
About 1,800 people work as mining labourers in Australia, and employment is projected to decline 3% over the decade to 2035. That's a real decline, worth weighing carefully before training into the role.
How do you become a mining labourer?
Here's the path most mining labourers take, step by step.
- 1Sort out the medical and site clearance
Mine operators require a pre-employment medical with drug and alcohol screening and a fitness check before you can be inducted, so this comes first. No site will book your induction until it is done.
- 2Complete a mine site induction
In Queensland coal mines this is the Standard 11 surface induction, and other states and commodities run their own site inductions through registered training organisations. A construction White Card helps for mine construction and shutdown work.
- 3Consider a mining qualification
A Certificate II in Surface Extraction Operations or a Certificate III in Mining Operations is the standard qualification, though many labourers start with none and learn on the job. The most common qualification in the current workforce is Certificate III/IV, held by about 34% of mining labourers.
- 4Add the licences that widen what you can be put on
An HR truck licence, a forklift licence and high risk work licences for rigging or dogging are common asks in job ads. They also give a supervisor a reason to move you onto better-paid tasks rather than the shovel.
- 5Apply through labour hire and contractors
Most entry-level mine site work is filled by labour hire firms and shutdown contractors rather than the mine owner directly, so registering with several is the usual way in. Once you have a roster and a site record behind you, moving to a permanent role or into machinery operation gets easier.
Ready to apply as a mining labourer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a mining labourer 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.
What jobs can a mining labourer move to?
Moving into Miner typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $55,000 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miner Mining labourers already work around extraction and site conditions, but becoming a miner needs machinery operation and extraction competencies. | +$55,000 | 33% | reskill |
| Conveyor Belt Splicer Mining labourers bring conveyor system familiarity and site safety awareness, and belt splicing work builds on this with task-specific training. | +$23,400 | 62% | minimal |
| Crusher Operator Mining labourers know crushing circuit safety and manual support, but operating the plant independently requires a machinery ticket and further study. | +$23,400 | 42% | reskill |
| Tunneller Mining labourers bring underground safety awareness and excavation support experience, while tunnel work needs additional tickets and site inductions. | +$15,600 | 57% | short course |
| Driller's Offsider Mining labourers already handle site equipment and manual tasks, so stepping into rig support as a driller's offsider needs little extra training. | +$0 | 80% | minimal |
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 labourer?
The typical mining labourer is 34 years old; 88% are men, 88% work full-time, and full-timers average 46 hours a week.
- 34
- Median age
- 12%
- Female share
- 88%
- Full-time
- +6h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a mining labourer?
The job runs on rosters, usually a block of day or night shifts on site followed by a block off, and shifts commonly run 12 hours. The work is physical and outdoors in heat, dust and noise, and on remote sites you live in camp for the length of the swing. People who settle into it tend to like clear, hands-on tasks, a small crew and long stretches of time off more than they mind being away from home.
What people like
- Blocks of time off. A two-and-one or four-and-one roster gives you whole weeks away from work at a time, which suits people who would rather have long breaks than ordinary weekends.
- A way in without a trade. Labouring is one of the few mine site jobs that takes people with no mining experience, and it puts you on site where you can see what the machinery and trade roles actually involve.
- Work you can see finished. At the end of a shift you know what you cleared, cleaned or set up, and the day does not follow you home.
- A small crew around you. You spend the shift with the same few people, usually in radio contact, and the shared conditions build close working relationships quickly.
What people find hard
- Heat, dust and noise. Summers on remote sites mean full PPE in high temperatures, and heat stress is a genuine risk that crews manage with water, shade and rotation through the day.
- Being away from home. A fly-in fly-out roster means missing birthdays, school events and ordinary evenings. It is the part of the job most people find hardest, and it does not suit everyone long term.
- Hard on the body. Shovelling, lifting and dragging hoses all shift take a toll on backs, knees and shoulders, and the work gets harder to keep up as you get older.
- You take the jobs no one else wants. Labourers get the spillage, the cleaning and the fetching, and the role sits at the bottom of the site hierarchy until you add licences and move up.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ mining labourers?
Metal Ore Mining employs the largest share of mining labourers, followed by Coal Mining.
Top employing industries
- 1Metal Ore Mining
- 2Coal Mining
- 3Oil and Gas Extraction
- 4Exploration and Mining Support Services
- 5Construction
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 34% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 26% | |
| Bachelor degree | 20% | |
| Year 12 or below | 20% |
Will AI replace mining labourers?
This is close to the least exposed end of the scale, because almost none of the job happens at a screen and the tasks are physical, site-specific and constantly changing. Automation shows up in the machines around you: autonomous haul trucks, remotely operated loaders and machine guidance have shifted who runs the plant, not who clears the spillage underneath it. Rostering, permit and safety reporting software has taken over most of the paperwork, which is the one part of the job likely to keep shrinking.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Digging, shovelling and clearing spillageClearing a blocked chute or shovelling spillage off a walkway needs hands, judgement about what is safe to move, and happens in places no machine can reach.30%low
- Spotting plant and guiding trucksStanding on the radio to walk a loaded truck onto a tip head is a two-person task, and on autonomous sites the traffic control role shifts to the control room rather than disappearing.25%low
- Cleaning, refuelling and servicing equipmentHigh-pressure cleaning, greasing and topping up fluids on a haul truck between shifts is still manual work done in the pit, not in a workshop.25%low
- Inductions, permits and job paperworkSite management systems now handle permit-to-work forms, pre-start checks and training records, so what used to be paper logs is largely data entry on a tablet.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a mining labourer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a mining labourer earn?
Mining labourers earn a median of $96,200 per year before tax, based on full-time work. Roster type, site location and whether you are on an enterprise agreement or a labour hire contract all move that figure, and remote and underground work usually pays more than a site near a town.
How do you become a mining labourer?
You need a pre-employment medical and a site induction before you can start, and most people then get their first job through a labour hire firm or a shutdown contractor. A Certificate II in Surface Extraction Operations (RII20220) or a Certificate III in Mining Operations helps, but plenty of labourers start with no qualification and pick up licences such as a forklift or HR truck licence as they go.
Are mining labourers in demand?
Mining labourers are currently in shortage in regional areas, and employment is projected to decline 3% over the decade to 2035. The work is concentrated on remote sites rather than in the cities, so a willingness to relocate or roster away from home matters more than formal qualifications when you are looking.
Will AI or automation replace mining labourers?
Not in the near term, because the work is physical, varied and tied to a specific site: clearing spillage, dragging hoses and spotting a truck in a tightening are not tasks software can take over. Automation has changed the plant around them, with autonomous haulage and remote-operated equipment reducing the number of operators rather than the labourers supporting them. Permits, inductions and safety reporting are the parts most affected by software.
What jobs can a mining labourer move into?
The nearest moves are into rig support as a driller's offsider, into conveyor belt splicing, or into operating a crusher. Belt splicing and crusher operating pay $23,400 more and draw on the same equipment handling and site safety awareness, though crusher operating needs a machinery licence and further study. Coming the other way, builder's labourers and farm machinery operators move across with little extra training.
What is a typical roster for a mining labourer?
Rosters vary by site, with common patterns of two weeks on and one week off, or four weeks on and one week off, and 12-hour day or night shifts within them. On remote sites you stay in camp for the swing, and flights are usually paid from a capital city.
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