Labourers in mineral and metal processing
(NOC 95100)
Career Overview
Labourers in this group:
- Perform material handling, clean up, packaging and other elemental activities related to mineral ore and metal processing
- Work in mineral ore and metal processing plants such as copper, lead and zinc refineries, uranium processing plants, steel mills, aluminum plants, precious metal refineries, cement processing plants, clay, glass and stone processing plants and foundries
Job Titles
Abrasive reclaimer - mineral products processing
Acid conditioning worker - primary metal processing
Alloy mixer - primary metal processing
Alloy processor - primary metal processing
Alumina clarifier helper
Alumina recovery helper
Aluminum sheet separator
Annealer helper - primary metal processing
Asbestosboard sander
Asbestosboard shearer
Asbestos moulder
Asbestos mould stripper
Asbestos shingle floor hand
Asbestos worker
Asbestos worker - mineral processing
Atomizer operator - primary metal and mineral products processing
Automatic scrap washer operator
Baghouse attendant - mineral processing
Balcony labourer - glass manufacturing
Balcony worker - glass manufacturing
Ball mill helper - mineral products processing
Ball mill labourer - mineral products processing
Ball mill worker - mineral products processing
Billet helper - primary metal processing
Billet mill helper - primary metal processing
Billet pusher
Billet rolling mill helper - primary metal processing
Bisque placer - mineral products manufacturing
Blast furnace helper
Brick and tile batch mixer
Brick and tile kiln cleaner
Buggy operator - primary metal processing
Busher - primary metal processing
Cadmium leach helper
Carnallite flux maker
Cartridge flux maker
Casting helper
Casting house labourer
Casting machine helper
Castings cleaner - primary metal and mineral products processing
Castings trimmer
Casting wheel operator helper
Cathode loader
Chalk extruder
Chalk moulder - mineral products processing
Charger helper - primary metal processing
Charge weigher - primary metal processing
Cladding assembler - primary metal processing
Classifier helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Clay press worker
Clay products finisher
Coil bander - primary metal processing
Coke loader - primary metal processing
Coke oven heater helper
Coke oven standpipe attendant
Coke oven tar chaser
Cold mill feeder - primary metal processing
Cold roll catcher - primary metal processing
Cold rolling mill feeder - primary metal processing
Conveyor labourer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Conveyor operator - primary metal and mineral products processing
Copper dust-collector worker
Core room labourer - foundry
Core shop labourer - foundry
Cottrell precipitator helper - primary metal processing
Crushing operations helper - mineral products processing
Cupola charger - primary metal and mineral processing
Cupola furnace helper
Cupola tapper
Depiler helper - primary metal processing
Depiler table leverman/woman - primary metal processing
Drawer helper - primary metal processing
Dross skimmer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Dryer worker - primary metal processing
Dust-collector labourer - primary metal processing
Dust remover - primary metal processing
Electrolytic refiner helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Extruder helper - primary metal processing
Extruder tender - mineral products processing
Extrusion helper - primary metal processing
Fettler - clay products manufacturing
Fibreglass oven charger helper
Fibreglass oven helper
Filtering attendant - primary metal and mineral products processing
Filter leaves cleaner - primary metal and mineral products processing
Flotation cell helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Flue dust labourer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Fluorspar flux maker - primary metal processing
Foil roller helper - primary metal processing
Foil separator - primary metal processing
Foundry helper - primary metal processing
Foundry labourer
Foundry worker - primary metal processing
Furnace cleaner - primary metal and mineral products processing
Furnace feeder - primary metal and mineral products processing
Furnace helper
Furnace loader - primary metal and mineral products processing
Furnace skimmer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Furnace tapper - primary metal processing
Glass-forming machine operator helper
Glass packer
Glass tapper - mineral products processing
Gravel screener
Heater helper - primary metal processing
Helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Hot bed leverman/woman - primary metal processing
Hydrate scale reclaimer - primary metal processing
Industrial furnace cleaner - primary metal and mineral products processing
Ingot cladder
Insulation packer - mineral products manufacturing
Jigger operator helper - mineral products processing
Kiln cleaner - primary metal and mineral products processing
Kiln door builder - mineral products processing
Kiln labourer
Kiln labourer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Kiln operator helper - mineral products manufacturing
Labourer - metallurgy
Labourer - mineral and metal processing
Labourer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Lead reclaimer - primary metal processing
Lime kiln helper - mineral products processing
Lime kiln operator helper - mineral products processing
Lime slaker
Machine helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Marker - primary metal processing
Melter helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Melt shop helper
Melt shop labourer
Metal impregnator - primary metal processing
Metal pourer helper
Metal pourer helper - primary metal processing
Metal powder lubricator finisher
Metal reclaimer helper - primary metal processing
Metal salvager helper - primary metal processing
Metal tube marker - primary metal processing
Mill helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Mill labourer - mineral products processing
Mixer helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Molten metal mixer helper - primary metal processing
Moulder helper - primary metal processing
Mould stripper - concrete products manufacturing
Ore crushing helper
Ore processing labourer
Ore processing pipe maintenance worker
Plasterboard cutter - mineral products processing
Plasterboard machine feeder - mineral products manufacturing
Plugger - primary metal processing
Porcelain glazer - mineral products manufacturing
Potlining mixer helper - primary metal processing
Powdered metal mixer - primary metal processing
Powdered metal salvager - primary metal processing
Precipitator helper - primary metal processing
Primary metal processing labourer
Production helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Reagent tender helper - primary metal processing
Refiner helper
Refinery helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Refinery labourer
Rod drawer helper - primary metal processing
Rod puller and coiler - primary metal processing
Rolling mill catcher - primary metal processing
Rolling mill helper - primary metal processing
Rolling mill labourer - primary metal processing
Rolling mill worker
Rolling mill worker - primary metal processing
Saggar placer - clay products manufacturing
Salt screening labourer
Scaler - primary metal processing
Scalping helper - primary metal processing
Scrap machine helper - primary metal processing
Scrap metal baler - primary metal processing
Scrap metal loader
Scrap metal processor - primary metal processing
Scrap metal sorter and baler - primary metal processing
Scrap shredder helper
Scrap yard worker - primary metal processing
Screening equipment helper - primary metal and mineral products processing
Scrubber tender - mineral products processing
Selenium recovery helper - primary metal processing
Sheet roller helper - primary metal processing
Shot bagger - explosives manufacturing
Sintering machine loader - primary metal processing
Skimmer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Slime recovery plant helper - primary metal processing
Slip sealer - mineral products processing
Sludge worker - primary metal processing
Smelter helper
Smelter labourer
Soaking pit bottom cleaner - primary metal processing
Stamper - primary metal processing
Steel plant labourer
Stone bed setter - mineral products processing
Stonework filler - mineral products processing
Stretcher-leveller helper - primary metal processing
Tailings disposal labourer - primary metal processing
Tailings labourer
Tankhouse helper - primary metal processing
Tapper - glass manufacturing
Tapper - primary metal processing
Tube drawer helper - primary metal processing
Tube roller helper - primary metal processing
Utility labourer - primary metal and mineral products processing
Utility machine worker - primary metal and mineral products processing
Ware cleaner - clay products manufacturing
Welding-rod-extruder operator helper - primary metal processing
Wire drawer helper
Wire drawing helper
Zinc cathode puller
Zinc drosser
Zinc dust maker
Zinc electrolysis lead burner helper
Duties
Labourers in mineral and metal processing perform some or all of the following duties:
- Move raw materials, finished products, scrap and recyclable materials throughout plant manually or using forklift or other powered equipment
- Feed conveyors, crushers and other equipment
- Open valves and start pumps
- Skim dross from furnaces
- Sort, stack, bundle and stamp materials
- Perform other activities to help process and machine operators in mineral ore and metal processing
- Clean work areas and equipment
- May help with minor repairs and maintenance
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
965% Employed Full Time
63%
Source: 2021 Census
Key aspects of the work in this occupation:
- Work takes place in an indoor plant environment
- Workers may be exposed to fire, steam or intensely not surfaces that could cause injury
- Working with machinery, equipment and hand/power tools may be a source of injury
- Workers may be exposed to flying or airborne particles such as metal pieces and dust in the work environment
- Workers may be exposed to noise that could impair hearing
Career Pathways
Progression to machine and process operator positions is possible with experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Completion of secondary school may be required for some occuaptions in this group.
Education programs in B.C.
Explore required or beneficial post-secondary programs related to the following career(s):
Top Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure that a machine is working properly.
Monitoring
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
965
Source: 2021 Census
Employment by Region
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland/Southwest
North Coast and Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island/Coast
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 35 | 3.6% |
| Kootenay | 50 | 5.2% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 695 | 72.0% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 60 | 6.2% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 80 | 8.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 45 | 4.7% |
Source: 2021 Census
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
330
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook
Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland/Southwest
North Coast and Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island/Coast
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 0 | -0.6% |
| Kootenay | 10 | 0.2% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 270 | 1.0% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 40 | 1.1% |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 20 | 0.9% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 0 | -3.2% |
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 210 |
| Wholesale Trade | 80 |
| Construction | 10 |
| Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction | 10 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 10 |
For additional industry information, visit the Industry Profiles page.
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook
Resources
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Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC)www.amebc.ca
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MineralsEdwww.mineralsed.ca
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Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC)www.mining.bc.ca