Job displacement in coal mining in Canada
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Description: Job displacement in coal mining in Canada
Job displacement in coal mining in Canada
The coal mining industry is losing jobs, which is affecting workers mostly in rural communities. So how are those workers faring after being laid off?
From 1989 to 2017, the number of coal mines in Canada decreased by almost 50%, while coal production fell by 13.6%.
From 1995 to 2015, the number of coal mining workers decreased from about 18,500 to 12,500.
300 jobs lost per year. Of all male and female employees aged 20 to 64 who were employed in this sector, roughly 300 were laid off annually, on average, from 1995 to 2015.
Fortunately, from 1995 to 2015, on average, 75% of workers laid off from coal mining had paid employment in the year after losing their job.
- About 20% of these workers found paid employment in mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction in the year after losing their job.
- Another 20% found paid employment in highly skilled services.
DID YOU KNOW?
- After 2013, the sharp rise in layoff rates in coal mining coincided with a substantial increase in layoff rates in oil and gas extraction, which in turn was associated with a decrease in oil prices.
Sources: Statistics Canada, table 25-10-0030-01; Annual Coal Mines Survey; Chen, Wen-Hao and René Morissette. 2020. "How Do Workers Displaced from Traditional Energy-producing Sectors Fare after Job Loss? Evidence from Coal Mining." Economic Insights. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-626-X, No. 124.
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