Alaska processing employment.

• Author: Davidson, Paul
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

Alaska's seafood processing industry consists of more than 500 processors, of which more than half are ocean vessels. Of the more than 200 shore-side processors, 30 process the bulk of seafood. Most seafood processors in Alaska do primary processing such as gutting, heading and freezing. Secondary seafood processing is mostly done outside Alaska. The number of fishermen in Alaska who catch, process and sell directly to consumers is on the rise, according to the State of Alaska, Office of Fisheries Development.

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Seafood processing represents, on average, 69.08 percent of Alaska's manufacturing employment of the last decade, as evidenced by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section monthly employment statistics. The chart illustrates the correlation Alaska manufacturing employment has with seafood processing employment. There is a trend of employment decline in seafood processing and in overall manufacturing from the years 2003 to 2007. Manufacturing and seafood processing employment diverge in 2011 with growth in seafood processing employment and loss in overall manufacturing employment in 2011. The divergence in employment is unusual and could potentially be explained through a decrease in other Alaska manufacturing employment and through potential slight discrepancies in some preliminary data. At this time we can only surmise the real cause of the employment divergence.

Alaska Trends, an outline of significant statewide statistics, is provided by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

Chart Data from the State of Alaska--Monthly employment statistics: http://labor.alaska.gov/research/ces/ces.ht

ALASKA TRENDS Indicator Units Personal Income--Alaska US$ Personal Income--United States US$ Consumer Prices--Anchorage 1982-1984 =100 Consumer Prices--United States 1982-1984 = 100 Bankruptcies Alaska Total Number Filed Anchorage Total Number Filed Fairbanks Total Number Filed Alaska Thousands Anchorage & Mat-Su Thousands Fairbanks Thousands Southeast Thousands Gulf Coast Thousands Sectoral Distribution--Alaska Total Nonfarm Thousands Goods Producing Thousands Services Providing Thousands Mining and Logging Thousands Mining Thousands Oil & Gas Thousands Construction Thousands Manufacturing Thousands Seafood Processing Thousands Trade/Transportation/Utilities Thousands Wholesale Trade Thousands Retail Trade Thousands Food & Beverage Stores Thousands General Merchandise Stores Thousands Trans/Warehouse/Utilities Thousands Air Transportation Thousands Truck Transportation Thousands Information Thousands Telecommunications Thousands Financial Activities Thousands Professional & Business Services Thousands Educational & Health Services Thousands Health Care Thousands Leisure & Hospitality Thousands Accommodation...