Nonresident Hire In Alaska Increases Slightly In 2001

Feb. 4, 2003
No. 03-02

The percentage of nonresident workers in Alaska increased slightly between 2000 and 2001, according to an annual report, Nonresidents Working in Alaska-2001, released today by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

In 2001, nonresident workers comprised 18.4% of all workers in Alaska, a slight increase from 17.9% in 2000, but a large decrease from the peak year of 1992 when 78,000 nonresidents made up nearly 24 percent of all workers in the state.

The department reports that a total of 67,963 nonresident wage and salary workers were employed at some time in Alaska during 2001, an increase of 2,975 nonresident workers over 2000.

The report also shows:

--Nonresidents earned about 10.9% (or $1.01 billion) of total wage and salary earnings in the private sector, state and local government jobs.

--An increase in total nonresident earnings of over $112 million from 2000 to 2001, and an increase in resident earnings of $420 million.

-The percentage of nonresident workers in Alaska's oil industry increased to 28% from 27.5% in 2000.

--An increase in total earnings paid to nonresidents in the oil industry from $189 million in 2000 to $239 million in 2001.

-A small increase in the percentage of nonresidents employed in the food processing industry, up 1.1% over 2000, in addition to a loss of 1,618 workers.

--A total of 18.7% of all construction workers were nonresident in 2001, a small increase from 2000, but still a large drop from the 1994 peak when 25 percent of all construction workers were nonresident. Nearly 12 percent of total earnings were paid to nonresident construction workers.

--The highest percent of nonresident workers is found in the Southwest Region, primarily the Aleutians East and Bristol Bay Boroughs, and Aleutians West and Lake and Peninsula census areas; these workers are engaged mostly in seafood processing. Other areas with a high percentage of nonresident workers include Denali Borough, Haines Borough, North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Skagway/Hoonah/Angoon, Wrangell-Petersburg and Yakutat Borough.

Nonresidents Working in Alaska is available at https://laborstats.alaska.gov/

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