About the mining industry
About these reports
These reports provide a point in time, data-driven overview of the workforce and skills for each industry.
The report does not provide a complete view of workforce dynamics within the industry. Its purpose is to support ongoing efforts to address workforce and skilling demands and to identify opportunities within the mining industry.
Report coverage
This report focuses on the mining industry and the occupations relevant to the industry, categorised using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) classification of industries (ANZSIC) and occupations (ANZSCO).
Coverage in this report is limited to employment in the industry and sectors as defined by the ABS, noting some occupations are almost exclusively associated with an industry, such as surgeons in the health services sector, while others, such as accountants, are associated with many industries.
Furthermore, industry classifications rarely encompass the full nature of the work (and therefore skills) associated with a given industry. Therefore, ABS definitions of industries or sectors may not align with the definitions used by an industry association.
Key sectors of the industry
The mining industry is involved in the exploration, extraction and processing of minerals, metals, oil, gas and other natural resources.
The key sectors within the mining industry are:
- Coal, and oil and gas extraction – includes the extraction of black and brown coal, crude oil, natural gas and coal seam gas through open-cut, underground or offshore operations
- Metal ore mining – includes mining of iron ore, gold, bauxite, copper, silver, lead, zinc and other metal ores
- Non-metallic mineral mining – includes extraction of sand, gravel, limestone, gypsum and clay used in construction and manufacturing.
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