How many coal jobs? > Check the facts
Peter Reith writing in the Australian Financial Review today claimed that:
The coal industry alone provides about 200,000 jobs and brings in billions of dollars to our economy to underscore living standards.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics coal mining employs 37 ,800 people. Mr Reith’s claim is more than five times this number.
This misperception is more accurate than general impressions of mining industry employment. Survey results show that Australians think mining employs nine times as many people as it actually does.
After going to the ABS site linked I could only see the numbers all ranging as over 200,000. It appears that your information is incorrect and Peter Reith is unfortunately correct. I would like you to prove me wrong and show how you got your numbers.
@Brioney Ferguson,
there is over 200,000 in Mining but 37,800 in Coal mining as of August 2014.
See Table 06. Employed persons by Industry Subdivision and Sex -> Employed Full Time ; Coal Mining ; Persons ;
It might be more fair to say that only 37,800 people are “directly” employed by coal mining. This doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Reith was plainly using the wrong numbers in his statement.
Of course, any reasonable person will immediately ask about indirect employment.
I have a relative who works logistics for a company which supplies the mining industry. Since he really likes his job, he generally objects when I suggest that the coal industry needs to be reined in.
Truck drivers, train drivers, everyone that works in Newcastle and Gladstone port facilities. The “coal industry” isn’t just the miners just like the “education industry” isn’t just people who work in schools.