职业描述：Crane Operators, Drillers and Blasters (737)

At Work
People in this group work for government and construction, mining, quarrying, industrial, cargo handling and railway companies and contractors. They may also be self-employed.
Crane operators use cranes and draglines to lift and place machinery and other large objects at work sites.
Drillers operate mobile drilling machines to bore blast holes in open-pit mines and quarries and during the construction of building foundations.
Blasters place explosives in blast holes and detonate explosives to dislodge coal, ore and rock and to demolish structures.
Water well drillers operate mobile well drilling rigs and equipment to drill residential, commercial and industrial water wells.

Education, Training and Experience
People in this group usually have some high school education.

Crane operators require an apprenticeship of one to three years or crane operation courses.
In some provinces, crane, boom truck, mobile and tower crane operators require trade certification.
Mobile crane operators may require a licence to drive on public roads. If they have trade certification, they may also obtain interprovincial trade certification (Red Seal) which provides for job mobility throughout the country.
Drillers may require heavy equipment operator experience and on-the-job training.
Blasters usually require a blasting licence and may need experience as blaster helpers in surface mining and quarrying. They usually get on-the-job training.
To gain trade certification, water well drillers require a two-to-three-year apprenticeship or two to three years' experience with trade courses.

About these Occupations
23,000 persons were employed in these occupations in 1996, an increase of 10.3% from 1986. Over the same period, employment in all occupations grew by 13.1%.

77% of these workers are crane operators; 15% are drillers and blasters, in surface mining, quarrying and construction.
17% of persons in these occupations work part-time, compared to an average of 19% for all occupations. The proportion of part-time workers has increased significantly in these occupations over the last 10 years.
5% of workers in these occupations are self-employed, well below the average of 16% for all occupations.
17% of persons working in these occupations are women, well below the average of 45% in all occupations.
The unemployment rate in these occupations averaged 11.2% from 1994 to 1996, well above the average of 6.7% for all occupations. These rates are among the highest for technical, skilled and paraprofessional occupations.
Average earnings of year-round, full-time workers in these occupations in 1995 were $35,700, equal to the average for all occupations.
Persons 15 to 29 years old make up a large proportion of new hires in these occupations, indicating that these are often entry-level positions.
The separation rate in these occupations is high, due in large part to the seasonal character of employment in these occupations.
Employment in these occupations is highly sensitive to overall economic conditions and highly seasonal.

Full-Time Earnings

1995 Full-Time Earnings*
$51,900 Highest
$35,700 Average
$19,100 Lowest

* Full-time earnings of the highest 10%, the average and the lowest 10% of workers. $35,700 is the average for all occupations.

Looking to the Year 2001
Current labour market conditions for new entrants in these occupations are fair. Labour market conditions for new entrants will remain fair through 2001.

Robotics and computer controls will increase the skill requirements for crane operators, but may also decrease demand for these workers.
Most of the increase in labour requirements through 2001 for these occupations will occur in the construction industry.