Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Construction and Extraction Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 47-5022.00
Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.13–0.17· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 8111Miners and Quarriers0.17
- ISCO-08 8342Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators0.13
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only16 rated tasks · 0 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (0.0%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupation 53-7032.00 Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material.53-7032.00 | 0.002742.6 |
Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.53-7032.00 | 0.001829.5 |
Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and with efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.53-7032.00 | 0.001727.9 |
| Not observed on any surface — 13 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes. | —0 |
Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation. | —0 |
Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. | —0 |
Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads. | —0 |
Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth. | —0 |
Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse. | —0 |
Create or maintain inclines or ramps. | —0 |
Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance. | —0 |
Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths. | —0 |
Drive machines to work sites. | —0 |
Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand. | —0 |
Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers. | —0 |
Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.O*NET Task ID 12777 | 0.0 |
Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.O*NET Task ID 12778 | 0.0 |
Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.O*NET Task ID 12779 | 0.0 |
Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.O*NET Task ID 12780 | 0.0 |
Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.O*NET Task ID 12781 | 0.0 |
Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.O*NET Task ID 12783 | 0.0 |
Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.O*NET Task ID 12784 | 0.0 |
Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material.O*NET Task ID 12785 | 0.0 |
Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.O*NET Task ID 12786 | 0.0 |
Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths.O*NET Task ID 12787 | 0.0 |
Drive machines to work sites.O*NET Task ID 12788 | 0.0 |
Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand.O*NET Task ID 12789 | 0.0 |
Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers.O*NET Task ID 12790 | 0.0 |
Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads.O*NET Task ID 12791 | 0.0 |
Create or maintain inclines or ramps.O*NET Task ID 20458 | 0.0 |
Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance.O*NET Task ID 20459 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (16)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes. | Core |
| Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation. | Core |
| Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. | Core |
| Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application. | Core |
| Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads. | Core |
| Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth. | Core |
| Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse. | Core |
| Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation. | Core |
| Create or maintain inclines or ramps. | Core |
| Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance. | Core |
| Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material. | Supplemental |
| Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths. | Supplemental |
| Drive machines to work sites. | Supplemental |
| Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand. | Supplemental |
| Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers. | Supplemental |
| Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads. | Supplemental |
1.61/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes. | E2 structured facilities |
| Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation. | E0 none |
| Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads. | E2 structured facilities |
| Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse. | E2 structured facilities |
| Create or maintain inclines or ramps. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance. | E2 structured facilities |
| Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Drive machines to work sites. | E2 structured facilities |
| Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 35K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 35K
- Change (2025–35)
- +1%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $57,430
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87406 | 굴삭기 및 불도저 운전원 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8111Miners and Quarriers
- ISCO-08 8342Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- surface mine plant operatorESCO 8342.10This occupation is broader
Surface mine plant operators control heavy-duty equipment such as excavators and dump trucks, often involving a high level of spatial awareness, to excavate, load and transport ore, raw mineral including sand, stone and clay and overburden at quarries and surface mines.
- surface minerESCO 8111.3This occupation is broader
Surface miners perform a wide range of ancillary surface mining operations, often involving a high level of spatial awareness, such as pumping, dust suppression and the transport of materials including sand, stone and clay to the point of production.
- bulldozer operatorESCO 8342.1Overlapping, not the same
Bulldozer operators operate a heavy vehicle to move earth, rubble or other material over the ground.
- excavator operatorESCO 8342.3Overlapping, not the same
Excavator operators use excavators to dig into earth or other materials to remove it. They are involved in a variety of projects, such as demolition, dredging, and the of digging holes, foundations and trenches.
- mining assistantESCO 9311.1Overlapping, not the same
Mining assisstants perform routine duties in mining and quarrying operations. They assist the miners with maintaining equipment, with laying pipes, cables and tunnels, and with removing wast.
- scraper operatorESCO 8342.8Overlapping, not the same
Scraper operators work with a mobile piece of heavy equipment that scrapes the top layer of the ground and deposits it in a hopper to be hauled off. They drive the scraper over the surface to be scraped, adapting the speed of the machine to the hardness of the surface.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| F1302 | Conducteur / Conductrice d'engins de chantier | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| F1402 | Boutefeu | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| N1114 | Conducteur / Conductrice d'engins lourds de manutention | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8331 | Operadores de maquinaria de movimientos de tierras y equipos similares | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 8111 | Mineros y otros operadores en instalaciones mineras | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 52522 | Führer/innen von Erdbewegungs- und verwandten Maschinen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 21112 | Berufe im Berg- und Tagebau - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 645 | 建設・さく井機械運転従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources