NMA celebrates American workers

As Labor Day passes into the rearview and the end-of-summer jobs report looms, National Mining Association celebrates the hard working men and women of the U.S. minerals mining industry.

From equipment operators to geologists and environment specialists to engineers, members of the mining industry help produce the minerals essential to all aspects of manufacturing. Our nation’s infrastructure, technology sector, medical equipment producers and automotive industry are all reliant on these individuals who secure these vital raw materials for use in downstream production.

According to the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, mining is one of a handful of sectors that will add jobs at a fairly consistent rate over the next 20 years — adding between 11,000 and 13,000 jobs per year. The industry currently supports 1.2 million jobs. And these are high-wage jobs — with an average salary of more than $85,000 per year in 2011 — that provide employment in rural areas where options for work can be scarce. Amid tough economic times, the mining sector continues to put Americans to work, despite being restrained by complicated and outdated federal permitting process.

NMA and Minerals Make Like would like to recognize the dedicated individuals who build the foundation for today’s cutting-edge technologies and tomorrow’s innovation.