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Mapping the indirect employment of hard coal mining: a case study of Upper Silesia, Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Frankowski
  • Joanna Mazurkiewicz
  • Jakub SokoÅ‚owski

Abstract

It is insufficient to calculate the number of jobs in the mining industry to determine the labour market effects of a coal phase-out. In this paper, we estimate the scale of mining-related and mining-dependent jobs in Europe’s largest hard coal mining region: Upper Silesia. In addition, we provide a precise structure and spatial distribution of mining-related companies using information from public tenders offered by five of the largest coal enterprises, coupled with financial and employment data from official administrative repositories. Our observations have shown a significant agglomeration effect in the region: companies within 20 kilometres of the nearest active hard coal mine were awarded 80% of all tender revenues. Moreover, we found that 41% of all identified jobs in mining-dependent companies in Upper Silesia were highly at risk of liquidation if there was to be a decline in coal production. Finally, we argue for labour market mitigation policies tailored to mining-dependent employees and the widespread application of administrative data in just transition planning to address the limitations of dominant top-down modelling approaches.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Frankowski & Joanna Mazurkiewicz & Jakub SokoÅ‚owski, 2022. "Mapping the indirect employment of hard coal mining: a case study of Upper Silesia, Poland," IBS Working Papers 07/2022, Instytut Badan Strukturalnych.
    • Handle: RePEc:ibt:wpaper:wp072022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jonek-Kowalska, Izabela & Grebski, Wieslaw, 2025. "Post-restructuring productivity of the Polish hard coal mining industry. Does it create an opportunity for survival or a threat of closure?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Cantellow, Tom & Atkins, Ed & Fox, Sean & Robinson, Caitlin, 2025. "A Net-Zero Resilience Index for UK regions," SocArXiv vt8fh_v1, Center for Open Science.
    3. Jonek-Kowalska, Izabela, 2024. "Demonstrating the need for a just transition: Socioeconomic diagnosis of polish cities living on hard coal mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Maddalena Honorati & Céline Ferré & Tomasz Gajderowicz, 2023. "Who is Most Vulnerable to the Transition Away from Coal? Ruda ?l?ska Residents’ Preferences Towards Jobs and Land Repurposing," World Bank Publications - Reports 39843, The World Bank Group.
    5. Tarasova, Ekaterina, 2025. "Exploring intersectional energy justice based on the case of planned hard coal phase-out in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 396(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • L71 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction - - - Mining, Extraction, and Refining: Hydrocarbon Fuels
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

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