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Employment Preference Determination (effective July 1, 2019)

Summary Acting under AS 36.10.150 and 8 AAC 30.064, Alaska's Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development determined the entire state to be a "Zone of Underemployment," requiring public-works contractors and subcontractors to fill at least 90 percent of positions in listed trade classifications (including boilermakers, carpenters, electricians, laborers, plumbers, and welders) with eligible Alaska residents, applied weekly on a project-by- project, craft-by-craft basis. It matters to contractors and subcontractors bidding on Alaska public works projects and to workers in the listed trades; the determination was effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.
Document
Alaska administrative policy
Agency
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), Wage and Hour
Date issued
June 13, 2019
Status
Archived by the agency
This determination's own stated effective period (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021) has lapsed. As of the date this record was last verified, it is still the newest document posted in DOLWD's Employment Preference Determination Archive -- no later determination appears there -- so whether it was formally superseded, extended, or simply left unposted could not be confirmed from the official source.
Status last verified July 6, 2026
Topics
Hiring Preference Coverage
Source
View the official document

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The current status of this document is unclear
This determination's own stated effective period (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021) has lapsed. As of the date this record was last verified, it is still the newest document posted in DOLWD's Employment Preference Determination Archive -- no later determination appears there -- so whether it was formally superseded, extended, or simply left unposted could not be confirmed from the official source. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), Wage and Hour. Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE DETERMINATION
(EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2019)

By authority of A.S. 36.10.150 and 8 ACC 30.064, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development has determined the State of Alaska to be Zones of Underemployment. A Zone of Underemployment requires that Alaska residents who are eligible under AS 36.10.140 be given a minimum of 90 percent employment preference on public works contracts throughout the state in certain job classifications. This hiring preference applies on a project-by- project, craft-by-craft or occupational basis and must be met each workweek by each contractor/subcontractor.

For additional information about the Alaska resident hire requirements, contact the nearest Wage and Hour Office in Anchorage at 907.269.4900, in Fairbanks at 907.451.2886 or in Juneau at 907.465.4248.

The following classifications qualify for a minimum of 90 percent Alaska resident hire preference:

Boilermakers
Mechanics
Bricklayers
Millwrights
Carpenters
Painters
Cement Masons
Piledriver Occupations
Culinary Workers
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Electricians
Roofers
Engineers and Architects
Sheet Metal Workers
Equipment Operators
Surveyors
Foremen and Supervisors
Truck Drivers
Insulation Workers
Tug Boat Workers
Ironworkers
Welders
Laborers

This determination is effective July 1, 2019, and remains in effect until June 30, 2021

Dr. Tamika L. Ledbetter, Commissioner
6/13/2019

Related guidance

Wage and hour compliance notice for shore-based fish processors Interpretive Notice · May 6, 2025 Alaska Employment Preference Information (explaining the 2015 determination) Guidance Alaska Employment Preference Q&A: the 90 percent Alaska-hire requirement (2015) Guidance Wage and hour compliance notice for assisted living homes Interpretive Notice · February 5, 2026

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