Publication: Towards a Just Coal Transition Labor Market Challenges and People’s Perspectives from Wielkopolska
Date
2022-10-18
ISSN
Published
2022-10-18
Author(s)
Ferré, Céline
Gajderowicz, Tomasz Janusz
Wrona, Sylwia Michalina
Abstract
Part of a three-region set of papers
analyzing coal-related labor market challenges in Poland,
this paper focuses on Wielkopolska, which is most advanced
in the transition out of coal. Finding viable job
transitions is of enormous importance. The findings call for
a more territorial-oriented approach to brokering the coal
transition, rather than a sectoral one. First, even though
limited from a regional perspective (4,000 workers),
affected jobs are highly concentrated in a few already
lagging and depopulating municipalities. Second, while
coal-related workers are similarly skilled as other workers
in Wielkopolska, non-coal related workers in the at-risk
municipalities are substantially less skilled, exposing them
to potential displacement effects. Finally, while ready to
work and to be re-skilled, discrete choice experiments about
their job attribute preferences show that all workers are
averse both to commuting and relocating for work, even more
so than in Silesia and Lower Silesia. Complementary social
protection and employment support will be needed, and the
paper suggests some policy options based on international
experience. The paper concludes by illustrating how a
big-data driven job-matching tool, calibrated on the Polish
labor market, could be used to assist caseworkers in
identifying “viable-job-transition-pathways” for affected
workers as well as to help policymakers identify reskilling
needs and attract investments.
Citation
“Christiaensen, Luc; Ferré, Céline; Honorati, Maddalena; Gajderowicz, Tomasz Janusz; Wrona, Sylwia Michalina. 2022. Towards a Just Coal Transition Labor Market Challenges and People’s Perspectives from Wielkopolska. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/38175 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”