Job Displacement Costs of Phasing Out Coal

Juan Pablo Rud (), Michael Simmons, Gerhard Toews and Fernando Aragon
Additional contact information
Juan Pablo Rud: Royal Holloway, University of London
Fernando Aragon: Simon Fraser University

No 15581, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: The reduction of carbon emissions will require a rapid phasing out of coal and the displacement of millions of coal miners. How much could this energy transition cost mining workers? We use the dramatic collapse of the UK coal industry to estimate the long-term impact on displaced miners. We find evidence of substantial losses: wages fell by 40% and earnings fell by 80% to 90% one year after job loss. These losses are persistent and remain significantly depressed fifteen years later, amounting to present discounted value earnings losses of between four and six times the miners pre-displacement earnings.

Keywords: energy transition; labor displacement; coal mines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2022-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env, nep-eur and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published - published in: Journal of Public Economics, 2024, 236, 105167

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Related works:
Journal Article: Job displacement costs of phasing out coal (2024)
Working Paper: Job Displacement Costs of Phasing out Coal (2022)
Working Paper: Job Displacement Costs of Phasing Out Coal (2022)
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