In this post, we look at the weekly overtime (OT) hours typically worked by those who are in the support activities for mining subsector. This subsector is part of the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector, and is further defined below by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):
“Industries in the Support Activities for Mining subsector group establishments primarily providing support services, on a contract or fee basis, required for the mining and quarrying of minerals and for the extraction of oil and gas. Establishments performing exploration (except geophysical surveying and mapping) for minerals, on a contract or fee basis, are included in this subsector. Exploration includes traditional prospecting methods, such as taking core samples and making geological observations at prospective sites.”
-North American Industry Classification System
Many of the employees that work in these jobs are not exempt from FLSA overtime pay and earn 1.5 times pay for hours worked over 40 in a given week.
The tabulations below are based on U.S. BLS survey data. The BLS job title groups are insightful, generally containing more specific job titles with similar knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA), but can be more broad than a particular company’s job title listing. Also, some companies may have the job title listed here as exempt from FLSA or state OT due to their specific job assignments. The BLS does not make a distinction as to if the job title is exempt or non-exempt from OT.
| Job Title | Percent of OT Workers | Average Hours of OT | 1 out of every 4 (25%) OT workers works at least: |
| Support Activities for Mining | 50.19% | 22.55 hours | 80 hours |
Source: BLS (CPS March)