Changing picture.

• Position: Employment in Alaska

Changing Picture. Alaska's economy has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, reports John Boucher, labor economist with the Alaska Department of Labor in the July issue of Alaska Economic Trends. In 1970s, the public sector dominated Alaska's underdeveloped private sector, providing 38 percent of all wage and salary jobs. The federal government was the largest employer in the state with more than 17,000 Alaskans on the payroll, providing 18.5 percent of all employment.

By 1990, government employment had shrunk to 30 percent, and services had risen form 13 percent to 21 percent of the Alaska economy. Other major employers were trade (19 percent), transportation (9 percent), manufacturing (7 percent), mining (5 percent), construction (4 percent) and finance, insurance and real estate (4 percent).

Although Boucher cites national and world events and the state's maturing economy as elements, the rise of Alaska as a major oil producer was the dominant factor in the farreaching changes. During the '70s, private-sector employment more than doubled, led by high rates in the services, financial, mining and retail trade industries.

"The overriding reason for...