Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jan 2016
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2016 Alaska Dispatch Publishing
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14
Author: Annie Zak

TOO SOON TO KNOW IF MARIJUANA WILL BOOST ANCHORAGE JOBS

Job growth in the hospitality and health-care industries won't be 
enough to stave off job losses in other sectors in Anchorage in 2016, 
according to a report released Thursday by the Alaska Department of 
Labor and Workforce Development.

The city is likely to lose 1,200 jobs this year - a slight decrease 
of 0.8 percent compared to 2015 - and it's too early to be able to 
tell if the marijuana retail industry will soften that blow.

Anchorage's leisure and hospitality sector, which includes hotels, 
restaurants and bars, is expected to grow by 200 jobs in 2016, and 
health care is estimated to gain about 400 jobs.

Much like the statewide predictions the state's labor department 
issued Thursday, job losses in Anchorage will hit the sectors of oil 
and gas, construction and state government the hardest. Construction 
employment, which was up 4 percent in 2015, is expected to decline by 
4.9 percent this year in the city.

The report also predicts about 100 jobs will be lost in the city's 
retail sector in 2016 because no major retail stores have announced 
plans to open this year. That number doesn't take into account 
possible new jobs in marijuana businesses.

Commercial marijuana "could provide a sizeable retail boost in 2016," 
the report said, but it's too soon to tell when or how many of those 
jobs might appear.

It's not clear when the first pot shops in the city will open, or 
what they will look like. Anchorage officials have been scrambling to 
draft local regulations before the application process for marijuana 
businesses opens up on Feb. 24.

Overall, Alaska is forecast to lose 2,500 jobs this year, or 0.7 
percent compared to last year - the first annual statewide decrease 
since 2009 saw a drop due to the recession in the Lower 48.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom