1. HOME
  2.  | 
  3. Industry
  4.  | 
  5. Government
  6.  | Alaska Employment: 2024 Ended with 1.9% Annual Job Growth

Alaska Employment: 2024 Ended with 1.9% Annual Job Growth

Jan 24, 2025 | Government, News

Employment concept

Photo Credit: FUNTAP P | DREAMSTIME

Over the course of 2024, Alaska’s labor force added 6,000 jobs, a 1.9 percent increase over the year before. Given the state’s population grew significantly less than that, job growth is outpacing the number of Alaskans trying to fill them.

Few Fluctuations All Year

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development puts the seasonally adjusted figure for December at 4.7 percent, up slightly from November’s 4.6 percent. Month-to-month rates hardly strayed from that narrow band all year, only slightly higher than in 2023.

The statewide unemployment rate in December tracked with the national rate of 4.1 percent, down slightly from the previous month.

The unadjusted unemployment rate in the Anchorage area fell to 4 percent in December, exactly where it was a year earlier. The only municipalities with lower rates in December were Juneau at 3.6 percent and Sitka at 3.1 percent.

The total number of nonfarm jobs in December was 322,800, a drop from a revised 323,000 in November but 6,000 more than a year earlier. The private sector led with 2.1 percent annual job growth, while the government sector grew by 1.4 percent.

Current Issue

Alaska Business February 2025 Cover

February 2025

The manufacturing sector, largely driven by seafood processing, saw the largest annual percentage drop, losing 400 jobs compared to December 2023, or a loss of 6.1 percent. The much larger retail sector also shed 400 jobs year-over-year, for a 1.1 percent decrease, while a long-running trend of job losses in the financial and information sectors ended, each holding steady in December.

The oil and gas sector saw the biggest percentage gain, rising by 600 jobs since December 2023, for 7.7 percent growth. Construction, despite contracting by 400 jobs since November, posted 6.8 percent growth by adding 1,100 jobs year-over-year. Healthcare added 1,400 jobs, for 3.4 percent growth, and the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sector was up by 1,000 jobs, for 4.5 percent annual growth.

Related Articles
Alaska Business Magazine February 2025 cover
In This Issue

Architecture & Engineering + Interior

February 2025

In our February 2025 issue, we highlight how architecture and engineering improve every facet of our daily lives, from increasing the availability and affordability of housing to building small businesses and improving community safety. Projects like these are helmed by Alaska’s exceptional professionals, including the 2024 Anchorage Engineer of the Year Nominees. In the Interior, Red Dog Mine and the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum are both making big moves. Enjoy!

Share This