U.S. Has Lost 191,000 Mining Industry Jobs Since September 2014
Posted on 05/06/2016 7:34:54 AM PDT by xzins
The United States has lost approximately 191,000 jobs in the mining industry since September 2014 including approximately 7,000 that were lost in April, according to data published today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The coal mining industry alone has lost approximately 10,900 jobs since April of last year.
“Mining employment continued to decline in April (-7,000),” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its employment release this morning. “Since reaching a peak in September 2014, employment in mining has decreased by 191,000, with more than three-quarters of the loss in support activities for mining.”
In recent years, according to the BLS’s seasonally adjusted month-by-month historical employment numbers, mining employment in the United States peaked in September 2014, when there were 852,500 jobs in the industry.
In April, there were only 661,600 mining industry jobs in the United States, according to BLS. That is a decline of 190,900 mining jobs in 19 months.
The BLS has month-by-month employment data in the mining industry going back to 1958. In the 58 years since then, mining employment has seen a series of peaks and troughs, hitting its all-time high in December 1981, and its most recent peak in September 2014.
In December 1981, according to BLS’s seasonally adjusted number, there were 1,177,400 jobs in mining in the United States. That is 515,800 more than the 661,600 jobs in mining this April.
Employment in coal mining has been declining along with the overall mining industry. From April 2015 to April 2016, jobs in the coal mining industry declined from 67,500 to 56,600—a loss of 10,900 jobs in one year.
BLS has seasonally adjusted month-by-month employment numbers in the coal mining industry going back to 1985.
In recent years, employment in the coal mining industry peaked January 2012 at 89,800. Since then it has declined by 33,300 jobs to the current level of 56,600.
In the full period since 1985, employment in the coal mining industry peaked in April 1985 at 178,300 jobs. This April, there were 121,700 fewer jobs in the coal mining industry than there were in that April 31 years ago.
We can ship our coal to China and let them burn it dirty, but we won’t burn it clean here in the USA.
Hypocrisy!
So many millions are craving an America First administration. Something we haven’t enjoyed since January 19, 1989.
We already have the coal states in November. Ohio and Pennsylvania?
Other ‘mining’ states for things other than coal?
America First sure would be nice for a change.
Remember Obama’s ‘apology tour’ at the outset.
Trump will probably send out a collection agency to the nations. :>)
Colorado coal production slips to 20-year low
Coal is big in eastern Ohio, and those counties went for Trump during the primary season. They are a traditional democrat enclave.
The union bosses have been party stooges for the democrats and not really advocates for their union members’ best interests.
I hope those bosses get canned this time around.
And we sold our Uranium mines to the Russians. Why not sell anti-matter to the Klingons?
The delays in the permitting process by the Feds lend to this depopulating of American mining. Many, if not most, hard rock miners have downsized exploration and development of new mines.
This is happening through out the world based on Globull Warming....Look up Svalbard or Longyearbyen.
It the most northern place in the world and an American, named Longyear started coal mining there around the 1920s.
Its Norwegian and they are closing their mines.
U.S. Has Lost 191,000 Mining Industry Jobs Since September 2014
The mining industry category also includes oil and gas related jobs. The steep decline in crude prices since 2014 contributes to this decline.
Exactly.
I’m curious of my state of PA as well.
During the run up to 08, there were commercials all over the airways warning coal miners (with obama’s own words about destroying the industry) and they went ahead anyway and voted the way the union told them to. Will it be a part II now that they have suffered for 7+ years?
In the small mining town I am from coal companies had an auction where over 500 pieces or surface mining equipment this week were sold. The big buyers were from China and Australia. According a friend that was there the stuff went for pennies on the dollar.
Mayne they will now see the reality that the Union only looks out for the Union Bosses and dem party not the “brothers and sisters” who’s dues fund them.
Wyoming is a very large coal state.
When I rode the Pony Express Trail in 2001, there were coal trains coming out of Wyoming every 30 minutes.....
3 or 4 engines & 120 cars full of coal. EVERY 30 minutes. All night long. All day long.
I could count them quite accurately from the back of a horse at about 7 MPH.
Mining also includes gold & silver. Lots of those jobs in Nevada have been cut back.
It had to go very cheap, it costs a lot to move heavy equipment halfway around the world and set it up again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.