← All 785 jobsFile 47-5022
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 1% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #420 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $57,430 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 34,700 in the US, with about 2,400 openings a year
The work, 14 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Operate construction or excavation equipment24%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Signal others to coordinate work activities8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Build structures5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain vehicles in working condition5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 426 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Perform general construction or extraction activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 101 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 2,400 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 44% of the workRail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators0% AI does, against 15% here+1.5% by 2035 · $70,070 · High school diploma
- Shares 40% of the workContinuous Mining Machine Operators7% AI does, against 15% here+3.2% by 2035 · $61,810 · No formal credential
- Shares 37% of the workHighway Maintenance Workers0% AI does, against 15% here+3.4% by 2035 · $50,260 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.10, higher than 33% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 47-5022 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.