Wyoming

it employed around 38,000 people.

On the other hand, retail workers have lost well over 1.7 million jobs in the last 12 years.

That's 33,000 lost jobs in Wyoming coal vs. 1.7 million lost retail jobs.


For for some reason, these coal places get lots of press, and we fret and fret about the loss of these jobs. We wonder how we can support these people when they lose their jobs and how we can help them maintain their standard of living during the transition.

We never see the same coverage about lost retail jobs. They are mentioned in the press, but always in a "wow, look at that" or a "look how the world is changing" tone. Retraining retail workers is never a focal point for politicians, and no one really gives a shit about the calamity of that changing job market. No one is concerned about the families affected. No one mentions the communities at risk.

Guess why that is.

I have to say it: All my concern is used up on the million plus retail workers who have lost their jobs suddenly and with very little warning. I don't really care much about the handful of coal workers for whom the writing has been on the wall for a generation that their jobs were becoming obsolete, and who are being supported at every turn.






Here are links:
Lost retail jobs: (1.3 in the decade before 2019 https://www.businessinsider.com/retail-apocalypse-last-decade-timeline-2019-12?op=1 and the rest in the years since)

Lost coal jobs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining_in_Wyoming