Donald Trump won the presidency, at least in part, because he pledged to bring back coal jobs. He promised to end what he called his predecessor’s war on coal and signed an executive order in March ordering agencies to review or rescind many Obama-era environmental regulations.
But a recent Columbia University study finds that these regulations aren’t the cause of most of the lost coal jobs. What is are clean renewable energy, cleaner sources like natural gas, automation, and a drop in international demand.
Now compare the current number of coal miners -- 84,000 -- to the number of people who work in the retail sector: 15.5 million, or 1 in 10 Americans.
As we can all see, the retail world is in big trouble. Malls are shrinking, stores are closing, brands are going belly up. Just since the election, 100,000 retail workers have lost their jobs, more than the entire workforce of coal miners.
We don’t have to look far for a cause. While automation is a factor, e-commerce is the main culprit, growing by $40 billion every year since 2014. And ordering things online becomes more appealing as stores lay off staff, making retail shopping less pleasant.
So, we know what’s causing the decline in the retail sector. Yet Trump has been silent. For him and his supporters, it’s better to focus on a false fix for an industry steeped in nostalgia that’s been in decline for decades.
I’m Deborah Booth, and that’s my perspective.
