Employment Forecast for 2018

Alaska is expected to lose jobs again in 2018, although the losses appear to be tapering. Total employment is forecasted to decline by 0.5 percent in 2018 (-1,800 jobs) after falling 1.1 percent in 2017 and 1.9 percent in 2016. Losses were deepest in 2016 when the state's economy shed 6,300 jobs, primarily in oil and gas and in state government. Then in 2017, Alaska lost an estimated 3,600 jobs. If it hadn't been for strong health care growth, the overall job loss would have been deeper.