By AlaskaWatchman.com

Driven largely by increased government-related employment and additional tourism jobs, Alaska’s statewide job count was up by 3,600 (or 1%) from a year ago.

Leisure and hospitality added 2,100 jobs (5% increase) over the year, benefitting from a record-setting number of cruise ship visitors, according to a report from Alaska’s Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

The next biggest gain was government jobs, including federal, state and local. In total, Alaska added 1,300 government jobs since last July, for a 1.8% increase. This included 600 new federal jobs, 400 local and 300 in state government. In total, Alaska now has 74,900 government jobs, which amounts to nearly 22% of all non-farm employment in the state.

Job growth also occurred in trade, education and health, and healthcare – all of which gained 600 jobs.

Oil and gas and professional and business services each gained 400 jobs, while most other industries grew or remained flat with three exceptions.

Manufacturing, which is primarily seafood processing in Alaska, was down 1,900 jobs over the year. July is the peak employment month due to salmon harvesting, but both harvest and processing volume can vary considerably year to year. Information and financial activities were down 100 each over the year.

Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8% in july with the comparable U.S. rate coming in at 3.5%.

Industries suffering the greatest losses included manufacturing (down 1,900 jobs), information (down 100) and financial activities (down 100).

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Alaska jobs up 1% in July thanks to bigger government, added tourism

Joel Davidson
Joel is Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Watchman. Joel is an award winning journalist and has been reporting for over 24 years, He is a proud father of 8 children, and lives in Palmer, Alaska.


9 Comments

  • Friend of Humanity says:

    Just a reminder: ‘America Reacts To “Rich Men North Of Richmond” By Oliver Anthony’
    https://rumble.com/v38l3a6-america-reacts-to-rich-men-north-of-richmond-by-oliver-anthony.html

  • DaveMaxwell says:

    Thank you governor for the tremendous job of economic stimulus! Building government, the great behemoth that corruptly is actively undermining every good thing we the people strive for!

    • Proud Alaskan says:

      Dunleavy standing small once again.
      He has his big house in Juneau, looking down on we the peasant.

  • Clark says:

    Not exactly robust growth. But slow growth is still growth. Thats more Alaskans having homes and feeding their families. Those are good paying jobs with benefits. Not shitty gig-work or minimum wage wal-mart jobs. 3.8% unemployment is VERY LOW. There are still a ton of u filled jobs here, and we’re still faced with major worker shortages.

  • Jen says:

    We have six weeks left of summer tourism. After that it’s Medicaid travel until school sports travel begins then its the two together.

  • Lucy says:

    Yay, tourism. Where you’re paid a low wage and treated like crap by employers and tourists. My daughter has stories… Where our serenity is shattered by non-stop and obnoxious helicopter noise and roads clogged by tour buses. I speak mainly of Juneau, but this dirty industry is growing all over Alaska. If you think tourism is a clean industry, then you haven’t been in the vicinity of one of those ridiculously large tour ships when they offload their gray water…in the once pristine waters in SE. It’s a disgusting sight.

  • Jen says:

    Juneau people never change. Always complaining.

  • Michelle says:

    Yay! Let’s celebrate a more bloated government. SMH