[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6092818,"mediaKeyId","2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3","parentId",2852121,"title","Labor force, migration and government employment: data show workforce challenges and revenue volatility","audioSeconds",1066,"startMs",3006000,"endMs",4072000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3&start=3006&end=4072","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3/thumbnail_3006000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092818/Alaska/Labor-force-migration-and-government-employment-data-show-workforce-challenges-and-revenue-volatility","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092818-dbe67facc99111c3a9b664f5f0f4de5f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770917843&Signature=X3tsePDI9SHp1MJbWRo3a1ARMx14yJC9ZmAVEgHsS5KGyiXfni8DGOJwWQg74UPw4wXemeg4VkdFcSgLwS5N595umT50CrOJk6ZLuys2uqjfW4hV339Pr-BZil3r97ppn-WSynUozwq3qPgniKwkeM2-l6Xf9D~HzO9oObGTNi5XgfV74DAoDr3EfpQK-z4zy6PWpucmujYgfwO~EyUS~UDO90eWRtgzJJrAJw4EofISR0p9MmGDa5jSjukPDUw6NXA9-wfxQp89yfTX33KUaRJEBi0i4RTWevl5Ck6gvsvPDWxTzrdepRPKqE0ny8yGP3qbelJLhCU0Foi0spTQtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","article","Dan Robinson, research chief at the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, told the Senate Finance Committee that Alaska’s population and labor-force dynamics present near- and longer-term challenges for filling jobs the private sector is creating.

Robinson said for the last 12 years more people have left Alaska than moved here, and that in 2024 roughly 92,000 people either moved to or away from Alaska—“well above 10% of our total population either came or went in a year.” He described Alaska’s population churn as unusually large compared with other states and noted that the working-age population has declined, partly because of lower birth rates and aging of the baby-boom cohort.

The department’s employment data show private-sector job growth has outpaced government-job growth over the long run, Robinson said, but government employment peaked earlier (state peak around 2014) and state, federal and local employment patterns have varied with past census-related and budget-driven changes. He explained that the department’s employment series counts people paid a paycheck; funded but unfilled positions do not show as jobs in the data.

On nonresident workers, Robinson reported rising shares in several industries (for example, oil and gas and seafood processing) and said nonresident employment often grows and shrinks alongside resident employment rather than strictly replacing it. He noted challenges in precisely identifying international workers, including limited access to H‑2B visa data and changes in SSN-based methods.

Committee members questioned the role of the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) on the economy. Robinson said as a matter of arithmetic the dividend “makes us richer by the amount that goes out,” but he emphasized that the department cannot fully say how recipients spend the money (save, travel, pay debt). He recalled earlier department analysis that long-term fiscal adjustments commonly involve combinations of reduced dividends, reduced state services, or increased revenue, each of which carries economic costs.

Why it matters: The combination of population churn, a shrinking working‑age cohort, rising nonresident-worker shares in certain sectors, and Alaska’s revenue volatility create practical challenges for employers, local governments and lawmakers planning workforce policy and fiscal policy.

Robinson offered to provide detailed breakdowns by agency (including state education/university separation) and local data on request to support committee decisions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04/02/2025 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE","oneSentenceSummary","The Department of Labor told the Senate Finance Committee that net migration patterns, declines in working-age population, government employment trends and the permanent fund dividend structure all affect Alaska’s labor supply and fiscal stability.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092823,"Cruise and visitor counts rebounded to record levels after pandemic lows, department reports",195,1932000,2127000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3&start=1932&end=2127","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3/thumbnail_1932000.jpg","/articles/6092823/Alaska/Cruise-and-visitor-counts-rebounded-to-record-levels-after-pandemic-lows-department-reports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092823-04c78449e91059c0d3c9115513cc039d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770917843&Signature=XrA9ImklZJSM7Go~nh9SsgjcR0Y9jB4Xiuftjbfs4dyVoeZOh6AXnwCzPU~IT7pjGBIPyZbOGv8t-5J5DKQxfpCYeB7192M6Ajd5o1n~htIx6A4D~fWq1QrS5lk8ea85gpip8n1ZN9SUkMARx0zbr7UtSV8Wy5~K-IehGNHRTDxVSX5Krek9T~e1woH5pZTiu5LF1gNNEkku4GSbm7OGm8upT6Su~7M063i8UX5ACjGGluKFl90aPfF1xRuLOfzc-8tBIM-15z8JlcCNHKat0IPkNXs02E3bE5KzLJcjmEw9skvZ-lmoRmEXP2s7jMU~9-UBuF0HXoonhNbGDXGXgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dan Robinson, research chief at the Alaska Department of Labor, told the Senate Finance Committee that cruise-ship visitor counts fell to nearly zero in 2020, rebounded in limited form in 2021 and reached all‑time highs by 2023 with continued strength into 2024.

Robinson said the passenger count increase reflects both higher demand and a wave of larger ships built during the last decade: “part of the reason the passenger count have gone up so much is because there was a whole lot of cruise ship building being done, and they were much bigger ships.” He illustrated the scale by noting that modern ships can carry many thousands of passengers—on some stops the number of passengers on a single ship can equal or exceed the population of smaller towns.

Most cruise stops are in Southeast Alaska, Robinson said, but he stressed the statewide economic reach of cruise visitors because passengers disperse inland to destinations such as Denali and Seward via rail and road connections. He also noted that smaller expedition-style ships now add calls in places such as Nome, Kotzebue and Point Hope.

Robinson cautioned about data interpretation: tourism employment statistics do not always separate resident- versus visitor-serving activity because many service firms serve both residents and tourists; subsectors like whale-watching show higher nonresident-worker shares than the aggregated tourism numbers.

Why it matters: Cruise tourism is a durable economic asset that supports seasonal jobs across Southeast and other parts of the state. The department’s data underscore the sector’s strong post-pandemic rebound and its continued importance to local economies.","The Alaska Department of Labor reported cruise-visitor counts hit all‑time highs by 2023–24, driven partly by larger ships and fleet expansion, with most port calls concentrated in Southeast Alaska though visitors disperse statewide.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092827,"Labor shortages and processing closures have driven seafood employment down, department says",355,1330000,1685000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3&start=1330&end=1685","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3/thumbnail_1330000.jpg","/articles/6092827/Alaska/Labor-shortages-and-processing-closures-have-driven-seafood-employment-down-department-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092827-5ed992ca865acfaf5eadee9d70e4016f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770917843&Signature=Bc6RckkYHTFg2gZVipEySHhtieIMKOVTgpPVhnv2p7UMR4a2pOX1-xr-YkEWPNLqrLAviNPdmu0ArV~a8ttpMQMXoG9jznrJu0PphixJc281vAHJ00xGqUmFmGXYn-S0Fsid7yyYrdrvQ1fZmJTvpy3YB3-OMkJTTWBqKUl6tQkYynjmr3FjYSZwT9NAtUoUfEir0pAJ~av5IP1B~PsKs6uF6IASePabNv9YJfpDHLTtvRpggxXqElQ8qa3eZAS8KXr4yK7CAxGyhs9qco~TnbJD8LvIreEtT6BxyYcN2DsKCKReQoSPROfjTtESSaq002seLNk5rl3RXYUU0-Jj2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dan Robinson, research chief at the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, told the Senate Finance Committee that both fish-harvesting and seafood-processing employment have fallen substantially over the last decade, and that closures or sales of processing facilities raised localized risks for fishermen.

Robinson said annual fish-harvesting job counts fell from roughly 8,300 in earlier years to below 6,000 in the most recent available year. He described the department’s method for assigning jobs to fisheries: geographic location is taken from the permit associated with landings, and monthly landings assign employment to the place of work rather than place of residence.

On processing, Robinson said the department prepared a historical article after Trident, Peter Pan and other processors announced sales or closures. He said processing facilities are geographically concentrated near where catches occur and that about 150 “facilities” of varied sizes exist across the state. Robinson warned that for some local areas a processing facility at risk may have been “all that was available for the fishermen in those areas,” and that alternative processors were not always a realistic substitute.

Robinson also said the share of nonresident workers in seafood processing has trended higher: “it hovered at around this for for a long time we thought of it as two thirds and then we were thinking about about three fourths. And now we're getting… well above that.” He noted data through 2023 and said the department expects the nonresident share likely increased again in 2024, but that 2024 data were not yet available in full.

Senator Keel asked how the department allocates jobs when a worker fishes multiple species or in different months; Robinson replied that landings for each month are assigned to the geographic area tied to the permit, so a single crewmember’s activity can appear as employment in several fisheries and months.

Why it matters: Declines in harvesters and processors, combined with higher nonresident staffing shares and recent processor sales or closures, can reduce local economic options for fishing communities and affect where fishermen can process catch.

Robinson said the department will continue monitoring third-quarter 2024 data to see how processor operations actually changed after announced sales or closures, and he acknowledged limits in identifying origins of nonresident workers (for example, H‑2B visa data are incomplete).","The Alaska Department of Labor reported sustained declines in fish-harvesting and seafood processing employment, rising nonresident worker shares and uncertainty around recent processor sales or closures affecting local access to processing capacity.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092830,"Alaska Department of Labor: Home prices and affordability have worsened as supply stays constrained",311,630000,941000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3&start=630&end=941","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852121-56abee4a68c17104375bae89cd67e8d3/thumbnail_630000.jpg","/articles/6092830/Alaska/Alaska-Department-of-Labor-Home-prices-and-affordability-have-worsened-as-supply-stays-constrained","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092830-b03514e9aeb690f52484e856170cb4e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770917843&Signature=oWzRyFwgfzaUdqZmpOtO60OAiTZvSIJgv8UmPCpEnZLjXqEescgw3p2d19zGrv9aaLIU7c98J3yS4UlM70rtkU5Qsx-Xe8Fbf7T0Au~5MH9u5wWO7dHAPz~ekRYBGiF-brQcCufBGc6oRWK~2IAU7mNpPpsFq9pBZFU541T1wsWaMWfTGPmnQCEqvNd3Gyh7uC5zKR6pwLb8TKhQOlUnhZd5f5AbLnZq0NtusMX06JigbEjwLP8V3PbJlzEjcsh95idRncIHgosBBu7KmkAaq6W60XlKbxkdhFb6-v6zM1AeIIouoSU0VGRBpilqwgMpjeyXZkHfML9NsjqxfpLi7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dan Robinson, research chief for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, told the Senate Finance Committee on April 2 that Alaska’s housing market has become markedly less affordable and that constrained housing supply and higher building costs are central to the trend.

Robinson said sales prices have “gone up a lot” and that new single-family home prices have risen faster than inflation in recent years. He pointed to supply-chain disruptions for building materials and labor shortages as contributors to higher costs for new construction, and noted that mortgage rates moved up about 350 basis points over two years.

Robinson said the department’s affordability index— which incorporates home prices, interest rates and wages—shows the average number of wage earners needed to afford a home rose to 1.7 in 2023, “which is as high as it's been since ’06.” He added, “If you've got somebody looking to buy a home and they say it's hard, well it is. The data confirms that.”

The presentation placed current supply constraints in historical context: permitting of new permanent housing units reached roughly 12,000 a year during past oil booms and fell sharply after the 1980s crash and again after the Great Recession. Robinson said Alaska has been permitting relatively few units for an extended period, a factor that limits the market’s ability to respond to demand.

Robinson also described how higher wages in construction and lingering COVID-era supply problems raised the cost of building new homes, and emphasized that housing affordability varies locally across the state. He noted the department conducts an annual rental survey and works with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation on lending and rental data.

Why it matters: Rising home prices combined with higher interest rates and constrained new construction reduce affordability for Alaskans and complicate workforce recruitment and retention across industries. Committee members requested additional data; Robinson said his office can provide slide-level detail and local breakdowns on request.

Robinson closed the housing segment by reiterating the department’s approach: produce accurate, objective data that is relevant to decision-makers. He offered to provide more localized housing data if the committee desired.","Dan Robinson of the Alaska Department of Labor told the Senate Finance Committee that inflation-adjusted home prices and new-home costs have risen sharply over the last several years, supply has been constrained for decades and the average number of wage earners needed to afford a home rose to 1.7 in 2023.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Labor force, migration and government employment: data show workforce challenges and revenue volatility

Cruise and visitor counts rebounded to record levels after pandemic lows, department reports

Labor shortages and processing closures have driven seafood employment down, department says

Alaska Department of Labor: Home prices and affordability have worsened as supply stays constrained