Technical Writers

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Population
& Census
- Alaska Census Data
  - Current and historical Census data for the state, boroughs/census areas, communities, and census tracts as well as geographic information, maps, and information on other census surveys.
- Alaska Population Estimates
  - Current and historical population estimates for Alaska, boroughs/census areas, and communities.
- Alaska Population Projections
  - Projected populations for Alaska and boroughs/census areas, as well as trends, composition, and distribution of the Alaska population.
- American Community Survey (ACS)
  - Demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics for Alaska and its boroughs/census areas, communities, and statistical areas.
- Maps & GIS
  - Maps and GIS data for Alaska, economic regions, boroughs/census areas, communities, and census tracts.
- Migration Data and Information
  - Migration information and data for Alaska and its boroughs/census areas.
Wages in Alaska
- Wage for Alaska Statewide
  - The most current wage data for Alaska.
- Wage for Anchorage/ Mat-Su Area (MSA)
  - The most current wage data for the Anchorage/Mat-Su Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Includes the Municipality of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
- Wage for Balance of State
  - The most current wage data for the balance of the state and includes the boroughs of Aleutians East, Bristol Bay, Denali, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, North Slope, and Northwest Arctic; and the census areas of Aleutians West, Bethel, Dillingham, Nome, Southeast Fairbanks, Valdez-Cordova, Wade Hampton, and Yukon-Koyukuk.
- Wage for Fairbanks North Star Borough (MSA)
  - The most current wage data for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, also known as the Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
- Wage for Southeast Region
  - The most current wage data for the Southeast Region and includes the boroughs of Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Yakutat, Sitka, and Skagway; and the census areas of Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan, Hoonah-Angoon, and Wrangell-Petersburg.
- Map of Wage Areas
  - This map shows the boroughs’ locations by wage areas.
- Search by Occupation
  - Includes a searchable list of more than 2,500 occupational titles. Each occupation may include a link to its career ladder/lattice and information on employment, wages, supply and demand, worker characteristics, licensing requirements, typical education and on-the-job training,and training available in Alaska.
- Minimum Wage
  - The minimum wage for Alaska is $7.75 per hour, effective 1/10/10. This link provides more information about the minimum wage at the Wage and Hour Section of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
- Occupation Definitions
  - Describes occupations published in the current wage data.
Employment & Employer Data
- Business Employment Dynamics
  - The Bureau of Labor Statistics site provides quarterly statistics on employment and wages by industry. These data consist of gross job gain and loss statistics from 1992 forward.
- Find Employers
  - Search for Alaskan employers by area and industry.
- Largest Employers
  - The most current Alaska Economic Trends article on Alaska’s largest employers and links to historical articles. Includes analysis by industry, private sector, nonprofit, and Alaska Native employers.
- Monthly Employment Statistics
  - Most current monthly and annual average employment estimates by industry for Alaska, the Municipality of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the six economic regions.
- New Hires
  - Analysis of job creation (new positions added by employers) or turnover replacement (the filling of vacated positions) based on employees that did not work for the reported employer during the previous four quarters.
- Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (QCEW)
  - Monthly, quarterly, and annual average employment by industry for Alaska and boroughs/census areas.
- Resident Hire
  - Estimates of the number of nonresidents working in Alaska by area, industry, and occupation.
- Unemployment Data
  - The employment and unemployment rate by month and year for Alaska and boroughs/census areas.
Unemployment Data
- Unemployment Data
  - The employment and unemployment rate by month and year for Alaska and boroughs/census areas.
- Unemployment Insurance Data
  - Includes the annual actuarial study and financial handbook, tax rates and the tax calculation process, and links to related information.
Industry Information
- Green Jobs
  - Green jobs in Alaska by industry and occupation. Includes a link to the occupational information for the core green jobs in Alaska. The occupational information includes data such as worker characteristics, licensing requirements, supply and demand, employment, wages, and training resources and requirements.
- Industry Forecasts
  - Annual industry forecasts for Alaska, Anchorage, the Fairbanks area, and Southeast Alaska; and ten-year industry forecasts for Alaska.
- Largest Employers
  - The most current Alaska Economic Trends article on Alaska’s largest employers. Includes analysis by industry, private sector, nonprofit, and Alaska Native employers.
- Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS)
  - A federal-state cooperative program that identifies and tracks job cutbacks from establishments that have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance filed against them during a consecutive five-week period.
- Monthly Employment Statistics
  - Most current monthly and annual average employment estimates by industry for Alaska, the Municipality of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the six economic regions.
- New Hires
  - Analysis of job creation (new positions added by employers) or turnover replacement (the filling of vacated positions) based on employees that did not work for the reported employer during the previous four quarters.
- Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (QCEW)
  - Monthly, quarterly, and annual average employment by industry for Alaska and boroughs/census areas.
- Resident Hire
  - Estimates of the number of nonresidents working in Alaska by area, industry, and occupation.
- Seafood Industry
  - Seafood industry information for various areas in the state.
- Workplace Fatalities
  - Safety and health statistics on worker fatalities in Alaska.
- Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
  - Safety and health statistics on nonfatal worker injuries and illnesses in Alaska.
Occupational Information
- Alaska Occupations Information
  - Includes a searchable list of more than 2,500 occupational titles. Each occupation may include a link to its career ladder/lattice and information on employment, wages, supply and demand, worker characteristics, licensing requirements, typical education and on-the-job training,and training available in Alaska.
- Career Ladder/Lattice
  - Identifies the best prospects for advancement to and from an occupation. The lattice is based on real-world analysis of Alaska workers' occupation-to-occupation movements.
- Gasline Occupations Information
  - This occupational information subset covers the 113 occupations critical to building and operating the gas line. It includes worker characteristics, licensing requirements, supply and demand, employment, wages, and training resources and requirements.
- Green Jobs
  - Green jobs in Alaska by industry and occupation. Includes a link to the occupational information for the core green jobs in Alaska. The occupational information includes data such as worker characteristics, licensing requirements, supply and demand, employment, wages, and training resources and requirements.
- Health Care Occupations Information
  - This occupational information subset identifies health care occupations. It includes worker characteristics, licensing requirements, supply and demand, employment, wages, and training resources and requirements.
- Licensed Occupations
  - A list of occupations that require a license issued by federal or state agencies, the Municipality of Anchorage, the City of Fairbanks, or the City and Borough of Juneau.
- New Hires
  - Analysis of job creation (new positions added by employers) or turnover replacement (the filling of vacated positions) based on employees that did not work for the reported employer during the previous four quarters.
- Occupational Forecasts
  - Occupational forecast looks at individual occupations and projects their growth over ten years.
- Resident Hire
  - Estimates of the number of nonresidents working in Alaska by area, industry, and occupation.
- STEM Occupations Information
  - This occupational information subset identifies science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations. It includes worker characteristics, licensing requirements, supply and demand, employment, wages, and training resources and requirements.
- Worker Counts by Occupation (ODB)
  - Occupation information based on employers' quarterly unemployment insurance reports. Data are available from 2001 to the present for the state and boroughs/census areas.
- Workplace Fatalities
  - Safety and health statistics on worker fatalities in Alaska.
- Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
  - Safety and health statistics on nonfatal worker injuries and illnesses in Alaska.
Cost of Living & Housing Information
- Consumer Price Index (CPI)
  - CPI for Anchorage and the U.S. from 1960 to the present. CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for goods and services.
- Cost of Living (Trends article)
  - The most current cost-of-living article published in Alaska Economic Trends. This annual article pulls together various data for Alaska and some of its boroughs/census areas.
- Housing Market Information
  - Rental prices, vacancy rates, loan volume, sales prices, foreclosure data, and other housing market information for select Alaska communities.
- Income Data
  - The most current per capita personal income data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for Alaska and boroughs/census areas, as well as links to other income data sets.
- Inflation Calculators
  - This Excel spreadsheet allows you to enter a dollar amount and a year to see how much the value's purchasing power has increased or decreased.
Training Information
- Alaska Training Clearinghouse
  - Information on training providers and programs in Alaska. Searchable by training provider, program of study, or training programs specific to an occupation.
- STEP
  - Annual report that reviews the Statewide Training and Employment Program. Its goal is to reduce unemployment insurance claims and train workers for job openings.
- Training Provider/Performance
  - Program and performance outcome information for Alaska's schools, apprenticeship programs, and other occupational training providers. Data include contact information, approximate cost, and length of each program.
Local & Regional Information
- Alaska Local and Regional Information (ALARI)
  - ALARI gathers various data such as population, employment, taxes, and census into one easily viewed Web page. These data are available for Alaska, economic regions, boroughs/census areas, and communities
- Maps & GIS
  - Maps and GIS data for Alaska, economic regions, boroughs/census areas, communities, and census tracts.
Publications
& Manuals
- Alaska Economic Trends
  - Trends is a monthly publication with articles on Alaska's economy, population, cost of living, occupations, industries, and more. Online versions are available from 1978 to present.
- Alaska Economic Trends Article Search
  - Search Trends articles using any combination of the following criteria: title or subtitle, date or date range, author, or full text.
- Manuals
  - All manuals published by Research and Analysis.
- Publications
  - Current and historical publications by Research and Analysis.

State of Alaska > Department of Labor > Research & Analysis Home > Alaska Occupations

Technical Writers (27-3042)

Occupation description: Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.

For an explanation of the data, click on the question mark next to the heading.

Career Ladder/Lattice

The Alaska Career Ladder/Lattice is a tool to help job seekers identify upward career paths and lateral opportunities.
Click here to see the career ladder/lattice for Technical Writers.

Employment and Job Openings

	Average employment			Average annual openings
	2010 estimate	2020 projection	Percent change	Growth	Replacement	Total
Alaska	119	132	10.9	1	2	4
United States	49,500	58,000	17.2	850	980	1,830

Job outlook

Alaska: Alaska’s employment growth is moderate with low employment opportunities. Read more.

2012 Wages

	Mean Wage and 95% Confidence Interval			Wage by Percentile
	Low	Mean	High	10th	Median	90th
United States	n/a	32.65	n/a	18.61	31.49	48.87
Alaska	29.10	33.22	37.34	21.08	30.40	44.37
Anchorage/Mat-Su Area (MSA)	27.51	33.38	39.25	21.68	28.23	43.69

Labor Force Indicators

2011 Worker Characteristics
Total workers	Nonresident workers	Percent nonresident	Percent age 45 plus	Percent age 50 plus
117	15	12.8	40.4	33.0

2011 Potential Supply

Qualified but working in another occupation	17
Currently employed in a lower paid occupation	5
UI claimants previously working in occupation	4

2011 ALEXsys Employment Data

Number of registrants	166
Number of job position postings	105
Ratio of registrants to job position postings	1.6

Typical Entry-level Education, Experience, and/or On-the-job Training

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Work experience: 1 to 5 years

On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training

Training Resources

	Degree	FY2008–2010 reported exiters
Alaska Pacific University
Executive MBA in Information and Communication Technology	MBA	0

Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Research & Analysis Section

1111 W. 8th St., Juneau, AK 99801
P.O. Box 115501, Juneau, AK 99811-5501

Phone: 907.465.4500 Fax: 907.465.4506