Service sector shines.

• Position: Service industries showed the greatest growth in Alaska during the 1980s

Service Sector Shines. Collectively, service businesses grew faster than any other industry in Alaska during the 1980s. According to statistics maintained by the Alaska Department of Labor, while the Alaska economy as a whole saw a 33 percent increase in employment, service sector employment saw a 55 percent increase from 1980 to 1989.

Labor economist Holly Stinson notes in the labor department's March 1991 issue of Alaska Economic Trends, "Jobs in services grew at a faster rate during the boom years, and lost ground at a slower rate during the recession, than total employment. Their recovery has also been faster than the...