Work

Fossil Fuel Layoff: Capturing Decarbonization Impacts on Workers Through a Refinery Closure

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We surveyed and interviewed oil refinery workers who lost their jobs when a refinery in California shutdown in October 2020 to document post-layoff employment outcomes. Workers experienced post-layoff median hourly wage losses of 24 percent, a 26 percent unemployment rate, and reported frustrating job search experiences marked by a difficulty to convey skills to new employers. Our study harbingers future transition experiences of fossil workers and identifies social insurance responses that could inhere within climate change policies to shield workers from economic risk. Workers identified a need for third-party certification of their skills, benefits negotiators, and wage supports.

Source: Labor Studies Journal

DOI: 10.1177/0160449x241281938

Authors: Virginia Parks, Ian Baran

Institution: University of California, Irvine

Language: English

Topic: Sustainable Development and Policies

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,200