Advancements in modern technology have made coal mining far more productive than it has ever been.  Today, mining personnel are required to be well trained and highly skilled in the use of complex instruments and equipment in order to extract coal as efficiently as possible. Many jobs require four-year university degrees. Computer knowledge has also become greatly valued within the industry as most of the machines and safety monitors are computerized.
Small animals, such as canaries (often referred to as “miner’s canaries”) used to monitor air quality have been replaced with sophisticated sensing equipment.
In the United States, the increase in technology has significantly decreased the mining workforce from 335,000 coal miners working at 7,200 mines fifty years ago to 104,824 miners working in fewer than 2,000 mines today.

A bit of fun:  Interesting little video clip showing how coal was used to make beer…..take a look: