What is the occupational database?

ODB contains occupation and place of work information on each wage and salary worker covered by unemployment insurance employed in Alaska. About 18,000 Alaskan employers report wages for employees during any given quarter. Alaska has approximately 350,000 employer/worker combinations per quarter.

This file is not directly comparable to average monthly employment figures reported by the department because workers may hold multiple jobs or multiple workers may hold the same job in a quarter. The file identifies the types of work employees are performing and skills that employers need in Alaska. Occupation and place of work information is available for more than 90 percent of all unemployment insurance wage records.

How can I use these data?

The data sets can be used to answer questions like these:

- What occupations did employers report most for workers in the state in a calendar year?

- What was the total wages earned for retail workers last year?

- Which occupation added most to the wage and salary earnings in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough for calendar year 2007?