Job prospects Core Drill Operator - Construction, Surface Mining And Quarrying in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "core drill operator - construction, surface mining and quarrying" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Moderate for drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction (NOC 73402) in Ontario for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.

Here are some key facts about drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction in Ontario:

• Approximately 1,350 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 51%
  • Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (NAICS 21): 38%
• 56% of drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction work all year, while 44% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 43 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: more than 95% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: less than 5% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 16% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 42% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 19% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 20% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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