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Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DOLWD) is the state agency that oversees employment, labor and workforce programs in Alaska. It administers unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, occupational safety and job training programs across Alaska.

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August 2026

Eielson Air Force Base hiring fair set for Thursday

Eielson Air Force Base holds a hiring fair Thursday, Aug. 6, but the Alaska Department of Labor announcement omits time, venue, employers, and base-access details.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Eielson Air Force Base hiring fair set for Thursday

July 2026

Alaska is losing federal jobs faster than almost any state

Alaska lost federal jobs faster than nearly every state in 2025, and one economist says the two-year drop, 15.8%, is steeper still. The ripple hits housing, grants and whole towns.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska is losing federal jobs faster than almost any state

Green card seekers in Alaska face a wider benefits review starting Sept. 18

A federal rule effective Sept. 18 broadens the public charge review for green card applicants in Alaska; advocates warn families may drop Medicaid or food aid out of fear.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Green card seekers in Alaska face a wider benefits review starting Sept. 18

Wasilla hiring event features employer with no listed openings

A nonprofit is recruiting at the Mat-Su Job Center on Wednesday. Its own careers page says every position is currently filled. Bring a resume anyway.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Wasilla hiring event features employer with no listed openings

Mike Rowe helps mark a $250,000 gift to Seward's trade school

Mike Rowe showed up in Homer to help hand Seward's trade school a $250,000 Wells Fargo gift for scholarships and instructors.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Mike Rowe helps mark a $250,000 gift to Seward's trade school

Alaska's trade school in Seward can't turn out graduates fast enough

Alaska's vocational school in Seward made USA TODAY's national top-schools list again — and most of its students have jobs lined up before they even graduate.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's trade school in Seward can't turn out graduates fast enough

Federal and state cuts erase Alaska private-sector job gains in June

Federal and state government cuts eliminated 1,900 jobs in June, nearly wiping out 1,000 private-sector gains and leaving Alaska with fewer jobs than a year ago.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Federal and state cuts erase Alaska private-sector job gains in June

Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29

Tessera is hiring veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities at the Mat-Su Job Center on July 29 for facility management, manufacturing, and warehousing roles.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29

Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law

Alaska raised its maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470, the first increase since 2009, and will adjust it annually going forward.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law

Job and training help for western Alaska's storm-displaced residents

Months after last October's storms displaced western Alaska residents, the state has gathered job and training help for them, part of a still-growing recovery effort.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Job and training help for western Alaska's storm-displaced residents

Alaska's minimum wage hits $14 — the raise voters ordered

Alaska's minimum wage rose to $14 on July 1 — step two of the raise voters passed in 2024, which also handed every worker in the state paid sick leave.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's minimum wage hits $14 — the raise voters ordered

June 2026

Mat-Su correctional-officer recruiting sessions run weekly

Alaska Department of Corrections holds weekly recruiting sessions for correctional officers every Friday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Mat-Su Job Center in Wasilla.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Mat-Su correctional-officer recruiting sessions run weekly

Alaska Corrections holds weekly recruiting sessions in Wasilla

Alaska Corrections is hiring correctional officers for Goose Creek prison and holds recruiting sessions every Friday at 3 p.m. at the Mat-Su Job Center in Wasilla.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska Corrections holds weekly recruiting sessions in Wasilla

Bartlett Regional Hospital posts 39 job openings in one week

Bartlett Regional Hospital posted 40 job openings in one week, about half of all Juneau-area listings, spanning nurses, doctors, support staff, and administrative roles as the hospital works to fill vacancies and expand housing for employees.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Bartlett Regional Hospital posts 39 job openings in one week

Alaska job centers promote tax credits for hiring ex-felons

Alaska's 13 job centers promote federal tax credits and bonding insurance to employers who hire people with felony records, offering employers up to 40 percent of first-year wages in tax breaks.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska job centers promote tax credits for hiring ex-felons

Federal job applications now require two-page resumes

Federal job applicants must now submit resumes of two pages or fewer through USAJOBS starting September 27, 2025, or face ineligibility for consideration.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Federal job applications now require two-page resumes

About Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Photo: James Brooks via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC BY 2.0

labor.alaska.gov ↗Alaska

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) is the state agency that oversees employment, labor and workforce programs in Alaska. It administers unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, occupational safety and job training, and it runs the state's job centers.

The department holds job fairs and hiring events at job centers in places such as Fairbanks, Wasilla and Juneau. It also publishes Alaska's employment statistics and labor market research, including job counts by industry, regional unemployment rates, rent surveys and population projections.

Recurring questions include which industries are gaining or losing jobs, how federal job losses affect Alaska, minimum wage and unemployment benefit levels, employers' unemployment insurance filings, and enforcement of child labor rules. Its research on whether Alaska has enough skilled workers informs debate over large projects such as the proposed gas line.

More from Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Alaskans' debt falls to lowest level in a decade

Alaska adults carried an average of $68,900 in household debt in 2024, down roughly $1,900 from 2023 and the lowest level in a decade, though Alaskans still owe about $7,300 more per person than the national average.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaskans' debt falls to lowest level in a decade

Labor department hosts Fairbanks skills event Wednesday

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development hosts a skills and employment event Wednesday, June 3, in Fairbanks through its Job Center Network.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Juneau, AK
Cover image for article: Labor department hosts Fairbanks skills event Wednesday

Alaska minimum wage rises to $14 in July, $15 in 2027

Alaska minimum wage rises to $14 per hour on July 1, then to $15 in 2027, with annual inflation adjustments after that under a voter-approved schedule.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska minimum wage rises to $14 in July, $15 in 2027

May 2026

Alaska residents applying for a green card will, in most cases, now have to leave the country to complete the process.

Most Alaska green card applicants must now complete the process at a U.S. consulate abroad instead of in-country, a federal policy shift announced May 22 that will require travel, longer separations, and higher costs for families and employers.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska residents applying for a green card will, in most cases, now have to leave the country to complete the process.

April 2026

Alaska House committee advances plan for state immigrant welcoming office

Alaska House committee heard testimony on a bill to create a state immigrant welcoming office by 2027, when the state must take over refugee services from a nonprofit.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read