Share of Alaskans working in state's oil industry shrinks to lowest in decades

Anchorage Daily News: The share of Alaskans working in the state's oil and gas industry fell to new lows in 2016 after seven years of decline, leaving more of the valuable work to out-of-state employees, state data shows.

Nearly two of five workers in the industry lived Outside that year, the last year studied, worrying state officials.

"It's kind of troubling," said Greg Cashen, deputy commissioner at the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Alaskans' share of the industry's jobs was rising until 2009, when Alaskans comprised 72 percent of the workforce. But by 2016, they held 63 percent of industry jobs, the agency reported in January.

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