I think a good counter example is the pivot of the Ruhr area from a mining and heavy industries hub to an economy centered on tech and services. It happened des

I think a good counter example is the pivot of the Ruhr area from a mining and heavy industries hub to an economy centered on tech and services. It happened despite strong union presence in the old sectors. I think one of the deciding factors was a strong social safety net and an active strategy of the state to bring over the employees into the new sectors and don't just leave them stranded with obsolete skills. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhr#Postwar_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhr#Postwar_period https://www.ruhr-guide.de/freizeit/industriekultur/das-ruhrgebiet-die-entwicklung-und-der-strukturwandel/21960,0,0.html https://www.ruhr-guide.de/freizeit/industriekultur/das-ruhrg... (Couldn't find a good article in english unfortunately)