The natural resources and mining supersector is made up of two parts: the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector (sector 11), and the mining sector (sector 21).
The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in growing crops, raising animals, harvesting timber, and harvesting fish and other animals from a farm, ranch, or their natural habitats.
The mining sector comprises establishments that extract naturally occurring mineral solids, such as coal and ores; liquid minerals, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. The term mining is used in the broad sense to include quarrying, well operations, beneficiating (e.g., crushing, screening, washing, and flotation), and other preparation customarily performed at the mine site, or as a part of mining activity.
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data show that natural resources and mining accounts for a small, but roughly proportional, share of the nation's employment and establishments.
Natural resources and mining employment is about 7 percent of total employment in the goods-producing sectors (which includes construction and manufacturing); natural resources and mining accounts for slightly less than 10 percent of goods-producing establishments.
In the economy as a whole (goods-producing and service-providing sectors), natural resources and mining represents about 1.3 percent of all employment and about 1.6 percent of all establishments.
Current Employment Statistics estimates show total annual average employment in natural resources and mining above 600,000 from 1994 to 1998, and near or below 600,000 since 1999. During 2003, total natural resources and mining employment averaged 571,000.
Employment of production workers in natural resources and mining, which was at a level of 461,000 in 1994, has generally declined over the past 10 years. In 2003, employment of production workers in natural resources and mining averaged 419,000.
The average weekly hours of production workers in natural resources and mining were 43.6 in 2003, well above the 2003 private industry average of 33.7 for production and nonsupervisory workers.
Average hourly earnings of production workers in natural resources and mining were $17.58 in 2003, compared to an average of $15.35 for production and nonsupervisory workers in all private industry.
According to the Current Population Survey, in 2003, the unemployment rate of persons most recently employed in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector was 10.2 percent. The unemployment rate of persons most recently employed in the mining sector was 6.7 percent in 2003. The overall unemployment rate was 6.0 percent that year.
Data from the Mass Layoff Statistics program show that
in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting there were 663 extended mass layoff events, resulting in 184,693 separations of workers from their jobs and 96,778 initial claimants for unemployment insurance in 2002;
in mining, there were 78 extended mass layoff events, resulting in 11,632 separations of workers from their jobs and 10,963 initial claimants for unemployment insurance.
Employment Projections data indicate that employment in the agriculture sector will decrease 15.1 percent over the 2002-12 period, the steepest decrease among all of the industry sectors. Mining employment will decrease 11.8 percent. Total employment for all industry sectors is projected to increase 14.8 percent.
The Productivity and Costs program's estimate of labor productivity, defined as output per hour, for the 2001 - 02 period for mining was 4.3 percent (the most recent data available). There are separate measures of productivity for selected detailed mining industries.
The Producer Price Index for the net output of total mining industries increased 36.0 percent from 2002 to 2003.
In 2003, there were 848 fatal occupational injuries in the natural resources and mining supersector, and 73,400 nonfatal injuries and illnesses, according to data from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. The nonfatal injuries and illnesses incidence rate was 5.1 per 100 full-time workers in natural resources and mining and 5.0 per 100 full-time workers in all private industry.
Some businesses in this industry are:
|
Agriculture Farm Business Agriculture Fruit Farm Business Agriculture Produce Farm Business Apiculture Apple Orchards Coal Mining Farming Fishing |
Logging Metal Mining Nonmetallic Mineral Mining Nursery / Greenhouse Oil and Gas Operations Ranching Support Activities for Mining Timber Tract Operations |
Information courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
