The term 'social assistance' is rarely used in conversation, but if you substitute 'services' for 'assistance', it may sound more familiar. What's more, employment trends in this industry often get lost in the limelight of its more prominent cousin, health care. This is because in most data series, the two are paired in the broader industry category of 'health care and social assistance'.

Science and engineering are embedded into the fabric of our lives, from improving everyday activities to developing our economy. Even during the coldest winter days, we remain warm in comfortably heated buildings and connected to the outside world by television, Internet, and cell phones. Science and technology operate behind the scenes, quietly and efficiently providing most of the comforts of modern living.

The national recession created some unusual times in Alaska over the last three years. Initially, the state's economy kept growing while the nation shed a record number of jobs. Then, in 2009, Alaska put to bed its 21 years of uninterrupted employment growth and appeared to follow the national downturn. However, its overall employment levels quickly began to recover in 2010.

Population projections tell us more than how many people we should expect - they tell us what kinds of services we'll need to support the future population. Alaskans use these projections to plan for social services like nursing homes, schools, and hospitals. This article is an overview of projected numbers for the state, regions, and borough/ census areas as well as the Alaska Native population. It also summarizes how the Department of Labor makes these projections and explains components of change (mortality, fertility, and migration).

Alaska's fishing industry is a major economic engine, leading the nation in fish harvesting value and poundage. Harvesting and processing also help drive our state economy. In 2009, the industry directly employed at least 53,500 workers at some point during the year. This article is an overview of total workers and average monthly employment in the Alaska fishing industry. It also provides a focused look at species and regions, and reviews how we create annual size estimates using fish harvest records, wage records, and other data sources.

Between 2008 and 2018, Alaska is projected to recover from the aftermath of the recent recession and add 33,670 jobs, an increase of 10.5 percent. This compares to a 10.1 percent gain for the United States as a whole. Alaska's industry forecast is the result of varying rates of growth in different industries. Relatively slow growth is expected in most of the largest sectors including government, retail trade, finance, and education. Somewhat stronger growth is expected in small to medium size industries such as metal mining; utilities; and professional, scientific, and technical services. Exceptional growth is forecasted for health care related industries.

The discovery of gold in the late 1800s drew thousands of people to the far reaches of Alaska. In 1880, Joseph Juneau found large pieces of quartz mixed with gold in Southeast Alaska, and his find lured prospectors to the new town site of Juneau. A second boom hit two years later when gold deposits were found on Douglas Island, across the channel from Juneau, resulting in the creation of Treadwell Mine. Gold discoveries in 1896 launched the great Klondike gold rush. Thousands of prospectors passed through Alaska on their way to the Yukon, creating the town of Skagway. More finds of gold in 1898 drew boat loads of people to Nome's sandy beaches on the Seward Peninsula.

Alaska's cost of living is frequently a topic of casual conversation and sometimes a cause for heated debates. For many years, a great deal of myth and lore has surrounded the idea of how much things cost in the Last Frontier. Cost of living information ranks among the most requested economic data. It's also a story that is in constant flux, making up-to-date information vitally important. This article attempts to corral cost of living information from a variety of sources into one place.

For the third year in a row, Providence Health & Services remained the only private-sector employer in the state with a work force of more than 4,000 employees. Continuing its recent growth, the company added 200 workers in 2009. (See Exhibit 1.) Wal-Mart/Sam's Club remained the second largest and was the only other private employer with more than 3,000 employees. Carrs/Safeway was previously in that group but dipped slightly below 3,000 employees.

Not every young Alaskan takes the traditional path from secondary school to adult work life. The journey can be a bumpy one, with detours and deadends. And just as initial success doesn't necessarily lead to long-term success, failure in high school doesn't necessarily mean long-term failure. But what path is most likely to lead to success for Alaska's youth?