Alaska transportation industry going strong.

• Author: Miller, Amy
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

Employment in Alaska's transportation, warehousing, and utilities sector has grown steadily since 2001 and is projected to continue this trend.

At the beginning of the millennium, Alaska's total employment in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sector stood at 60,200; by 2013, the annual average employment had increased to 64,000. Although the industry took a slight hit with the nationwide economic downturn in 2008, it quickly rebounded to pre-recession employment levels and continued to grow. This is divergent from the national employment data for this industry. Employment numbers nationally were also on a climb prior to the recession, but unlike in Alaska, the national industry never recovered to its pre-recession level. Overall employment today remains below employment levels for 2001 in the United States.

It appears the transportation, warehousing, and utilities industry will continue to perform better in Alaska over the next several years as well. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development released a forecast in 2010 that projected a 7.38 percent increase in employment in this industry by 2020; a similar study released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the United States as...