AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5043.00
Will AI replace Roof Bolters, Mining?
Roof Bolters, Mining: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 14 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Roof Bolters, Mining, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install various types of bolts, including truss, glue, and resin bolts, traversing entire ceiling spans. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Position safety jacks to support underground mine roofs until bolts can be installed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Drill bolt holes into roofs at specified distances from ribs or adjacent bolts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pull down loose rock that cannot be supported. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position bolting machines, and insert drill bits into chucks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform safety checks on equipment before operating. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform tests to determine if methane gas is present. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform ventilation tasks, such as hanging ventilation curtains and tubes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Force bolts into holes, using hydraulic mechanisms of self-propelled bolting machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dust rocks after bolting. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Drill test holes and test bolts for specified tension, using torque wrenches. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Rotate chucks to turn bolts and open expansion heads against rock formations. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove drill bits from chucks after drilling holes, and insert bolts into chucks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Tighten ends of anchored truss bolts, using turnbuckles. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 14 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 14. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 14% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 14% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 86% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 2,160
- Median annual wage
- $78,540
- Middle half of earners
- $71,390 to $81,860
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -34.2%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure17
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure17
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure28
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure22
- Roofers 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure18
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Roof Bolters, Mining and AI
Will AI replace Roof Bolters, Mining?
Not on current evidence. None of the 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 16 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Roof Bolters, Mining?
16 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 14 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Roof Bolters, Mining tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Install various types of bolts, including truss, glue, and resin bolts, traversing entire ceiling spans, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 14% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 86% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Roof Bolters, Mining, and what do they earn?
2,160 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $78,540 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -34.2% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Roof Bolters, Mining. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/roof-bolters-mining
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