Underground worker of lesser status, we hear (5)
I believe the answer is:
miner
'underground worker' is the definition.
(someone working underground in a mine)
'of lesser status we hear' is the wordplay.
'of lesser status' becomes 'minor' (as opposed to major).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'minor' sounds like 'MINER'.
(Other definitions for miner that I've seen before include "it's the pits, for me" , "Burrowing insect" , "Bevin boy" , "Worker below ground" , "One works underground" .)