The Alaskan Energy for Jobs Act has been announced by the House Natural Resources Committee, which will open up the oil reserve in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Representative Don Young said that the Act would allow for “future energy production and job creation”. This Act is expected to be included in the recent Jobs Bill announced by the House of Representatives a week ago.

Young also commented, “As former chairman of both the House Natural Resources and Transportation Committees, I am proud of the fact that I am the only Member to pass both a highway bill and a bill opening ANWR out of the House. With the Highway Trust Fund struggling to stay in the black, we must find new sources of revenue to fund infrastructure projects. This is a common sense plan; the revenue generated from drilling in ANWR will help keep the Highway Trust Fund from defaulting and will create jobs at the same time.”

According to recent estimates by a recent Geological Survey, the Refuge has about 10.4 billion barrels of oil, and the Act will make half a million acres of the Alaskan coastal area available for drilling and production of this natural resource.

According to the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is set to “establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the coastal plain of Alaska, to ensure secure energy supplies for the continental Pacific coast of the United States, lower prices, and reduce imports, and for other purposes.”

Of course there will be special protections put in place for various areas of the reserve that are to remain unaffected, namely the 4000 acres surrounding the Sadlerochit warm water spring. The bill says, “The Secretary, after consultation with the state of Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough, may designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the plain as a Special Area if the Secretary determines that the Special Area is of such unique character and interest so as to require special management and regulatory protection.”

Future Alaska oil production jobs and Alaskan drilling jobs in the ANWR region could mean relief for many people in Alaska who are struggling with unemployment. Although it will still take time to come about, the new Act is also set to repair and create infrastructure which will only improve the economy of the area and aid job growth and development.

To find out more about the different types of oil and gas jobs that you can get in Alaska, and learn about what qualifications and training you need to get a job in the Alaskan oil industry, have a look at Alaska Job Finder and become a member. You will not only gain insight into the various forms of employment you can find in Alaska along with those in the oil sector, but also discover how to make an impact with your applications and resume. If you are looking for an exciting form of employment in Alaska, do not hesitate to check out the Job Board for current oil, tourism, and fishing job openings.

The Timber Task Force was created with the aim of discovering forested areas in Alaska that can be logged and milled. They were once part of the larger Tongass Futures Roundtable, but Gov Sean Parnell decided to separate and form the Task Force with its specific issues surrounding forestry and job creation. Currently the Task Force is aiming to increase jobs in Alaska in the logging and milling industry, but is facing some challenges.

According to one of the members, Elaine Price, “There’s a market and there’s a demand, but getting a supply to create these jobs is a problem. And hopefully the governor will be able to do something about that.”

The Task Force held a meeting earlier in the month where certain issues were discussed, the main one being the amount of timber left to mill. Chris Maisch, a State Forester, said, “We had a report on the U.S. Forest Service timber program as it exists under the 2008 Tongass Land Management Plan and some of the difficulties in terms of the amount of volume that’s being produced by the program – or the lack of it.”

The Task Force had also set up a teleconference link for the meeting and expected to also hear from the public in person about their thoughts regarding the Forest Service’s sale process, however there was no response. Maisch says that this could be due to the fact that people haven’t had time to digest the first work products that were put out. “I expect that we’ll get more input as that becomes more widely known and available to people.”

The Task Force is also busy drafting reports to the governor that indicate the volume of timber in the region and detailing products that can be manufactured from this Alaska wood. Maisch believes that the future of Alaska timber and the key to creating new Alaska jobs is to focus on the Southeast, where the Southeast State Forest can be added to and new forests could be created purely for harvesting purposes.

Despite critics saying that the Task Force should have remained under the auspices of the roundtable, many people are backing them and hope that they can get results where the roundtable has previously been unsuccessful. “In Southeast Alaska we have some high unemployment in some of the rural communities. And the timber industry could solve some of that if there was a supply again,” says Price.

To learn more about the forestry service in Alaska and search for Alaskan employment in the State Forests, you should visit Alaska Job Finder. Aside from learning about all the other types of Alaskan careers you can choose from including fishing and tourism, you will find out just how to go about securing an interview and finding the best possible jobs in Alaska. If you want to give the timber industry a go, then you can looking for seasonal forestry jobs like those discussed on Summer Job Finder. Here you will discover all the details about the industry and about unique seasonal work like reforestation jobs which includes working in the State Forests and Parks.

Hundreds of Alaska jobs may be created thanks to a huge rare earth’s project planned on Prince of Wales Island which will bring much needed strategic metals and a secure supply of resources to the State. The project will be a collaboration between Ucore Rare Metals and the city of Ketchikan, which is where the large Bokan Mountain deposit is located. State geologists have already indicated around 70 possible sites where exploration companies plan to dig and the state legislators are confident that a lucrative mining and processing industry can be established here.

According to Luisa Moreno, a Jacob Securities analyst based in Toronto, “They have this view that, potentially, they can make Alaska the Silicon Valley of rare earths.”  Moreno has a “speculative buy” on the stock of Ucore and believes that they will be one of the front runners among the many exploration companies that will jump on this project. “Alaska has a serious unemployment issue and it is getting worse. Rare earths seem to be their one chance – they really want to capture this opportunity and make it happen.”

So, what are rare earths exactly? Well, they are a group of 17 metals that are used for technological items from iPhones to cars. They are also used in oil refining and in certain defense applications, but currently most of the supply is located in China where prices have increased drastically since the export clampdown. The Bokan Mountain deposit has been found to be rich in rare earths of the heavy kind such as dysprosium, which is demanded greatly around the world and that Canada and Alaska can benefit economically from.

The refining facility and operations of the mine, including a mineral separation plant, will be located in Ketchikan which already contains the basic infrastructure needed for a project of this magnitude. It is also thought that the processing ability would made it easier to develop other Alaskan deposits and even refine Canadian ones like the concentrates from the Avalon Rare Metal’s Nechalacho deposit.

Although there is huge potential for creating many jobs in Alaska, it is estimated that the project will cost approximately $100 million just to get the mine started, and a further $50 million to construct the processing facility. Aside from the financial restrictions there is also likely to be a 3 year waiting period until the permits are finalized, which will include environmental impact assessment work and feasibility studies.

Dan Sullivan, the Natural Resources Commissioner in Alaska, said, “The permitting issue is key and we recognize that both on the state and federal side we need to bring down these times. It just takes too damn long to permit a mine.” However, if the permits could be sped up, Ucore would be able to keep its current 2015 production target of 3200 tons.

So far, Alaska has set aside $500,000 for land assessment, and Gov Sean Parnell said that incentives would also be provided for companies who agreed to develop the prospective rare earth deposits.  Sullivan agreed, “We want responsible resource development up here. There is a land here, a lot of unexplored land, and we think the opportunities are enormous.”

According to Jack Lifton, a rare earths industry expert, “There’s a natural resource boom about to be ignited in Alaska. Right now, the issue is we’ve got to bring the total spectrum of rare earths into production in the West. I am very confident that something major will happen in Alaska in the next twelve months in the way of rare earth mining.”

To find out about other careers in Alaska, visit and join Alaska Job Finder today.

A new medical center is due to open in 2013 in Alaska, offering roughly 100 new Alaskan healthcare jobs in the Fairbanks area. The new medical center will service native Alaskans who live in the Interior Alaska region covering a 185 thousand square mile radius. 

The center will be known as the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center, named after an Athabascan leader from Dot Lake, Chief Andrew Isaac, whose advice the clinic will be follow:  You must understand where you are now to prepare for the future. This new facility will be 4 times the size of the current clinic which is located on the top floor of the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The health director, Victor Joseph said, “Really, what this is about is expanding our care to meet our demand.”

The clinic was overcrowded and dealt with about 14 thousand patients, some of whom had to be treated in the hallways, with others being sent to Anchorage for treatment. Jerry Isaac , Tanana Chief’s President said, “Our population is growing. Once we fit very well into the floor area at FMH — now we’ve outgrown that.”

The collaborative health center will be located on Cowles Street and the Indian Health Services plans to compensate the Tanana Chiefs for any medical performed which they will use in turn to fund the project. It is designed based on Athabascan heritage and information regarding this was provided to architects and building designers by the Tanana Chiefs. The front desk will be made from trees on the site, with sod covered roof and gentle sloping hallways mimicking a lazy river. Josephs said, “We really wanted to make it welcoming,” Joseph said. “We wanted to make it reflect the people we serve.”

Currently the outside of the structure is being built, and according to Mike Davis the project manager, it will be fully enclosed by October.

The clinic will provide advanced medical treatments to Alaskans and include a radiology department and state of the art laboratory for tests. There is also ample space to expand should the need arise with about 40 thousand square feet of space. The healthcare workers will increase from 300 to 400, as nurses, doctors and other medical staff members are required for the facility including dental.

Various other medical centers are being opened in Alaska including one in Wasilla which will employ about 200 to 250 people. This center will open in October 2012 and costs about $40 million. It has become necessary due to an increase in the population.

Chuck Clement, the Southcentral Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer commented, “For us, we anticipate continued growth out in the Mat-Su. There doesn’t seem to be an ending of the pattern of migration from the rural villages. We’re anticipating the populations (of Alaska Natives) will continue to grow and we’re trying to plan and embrace that.”

Clement also said, “The new facility will expand the type of health care services Alaska Native people can receive in the Valley and reduce the frequency patients have to travel to Anchorage for care.”

With work on the new medical center currently underway, it is a good time to look into how you can start applying for these Alaskan healthcare jobs. Other Alaska jobs also include fishing jobs, cruise ship jobs, retail and tourism jobs, crabbing jobs, and oil jobs. To learn more about what careers you can go into in beautiful Alaska, visit Alaska Job Finder today and become a member. You will get detailed information about these jobs and more.

Over 54,000 oil and gas jobs could be created in the industry in Alaska, if the production levels return to the way they were before the moratorium was introduced. This is according to the president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue. He is trying to urge the US Congress and President Barack Obama to consider leasing offshore oil and gas fields and expanding across federal lands. He said that if the levels were returned to the way they were, the Gulf of Mexico could create 190,000 jobs by the year 2013.

“Let American energy workers and businesses responsibly develop all sources of domestic energy immediately,” he recommended in a letter to the Senate Members, and the Obama U.S House. “This will not only create jobs but will generate new government revenue, protect our energy security, and release us from the grip of some unfriendly governments.”

This proposal includes approving the Keystone XML Pipeline running from Canada. The expansion and development also includes creating 530,000 jobs by 2025, which will increase the government revenue by $206 billion, and reduce the imports by 44%.

“Expanding the development of the nation’s massive shale gas deposits would create hundreds of thousands of jobs and help bring manufacturing back to the United States, especially in the chemicals and steel industries,” said Donahue. “By 2020, gas production in western Pennsylvania alone could create 116,000 new jobs, generate more than $2 billion in government revenue, and add $20 billion to the region’s economy.”

The Keystone Project is instrumental in creating 250,000 Alaskan jobs and will boost the economy of the area by $20 billion. It will also create over $585,000 million in government revenues. Some of the ideas to speed up the oil and gas production process in Alaska include putting a limit on the number of months allowed for environmental research. He says that risk assessment reports and environmental reviews should be set at a limit of six months. “Accelerating the permitting process would quickly mobilize economic activity, construction, and hiring from one end of our country to the other,” he said.

To find out more about oil and gas industry jobs, please visit Oil Job Finder and Alaska Job Finder, where you can become a member and start searching and applying for jobs right away. You will discover the different types of jobs available, what you need to study to qualify, what the hours and working conditions are like, and more.

Broken Arrow will soon be getting 300 aviation jobs thanks to the expansion of aviation company Flight Safety, whose products include the manufacture of flight simulators. The city relies on the aviation employment currently offered by the company and has encouraged them to stay in Broken Arrow by offering a great incentive package totaling $6 million and introducing 300 more aviation jobs to the area.

Chamber of Commerce President, Wes Smithwick commented, “Flight Safety jobs pay almost double the state average wage and that’s a huge deal. That’s the kind of job that a lot of people want but few get to recruit to their area.” The expansion will be good for the total economy and it is hoped that the new 375 thousand foot facility will bring more big businesses, shops and restaurants to the area. It also means that Broken Arrow could be known as the flight simulator capital and according to Senator Jim Inhofe, “The fact that they have made the decision to have this huge facility nails it down that they are never going to leave; that they are ours forever.”

In total over 31 thousand aviation and aerospace jobs will be added during this year, as indicated in the 15th Workforce and Young Professionals Study released during Aviation Week. The President of Aviation Week, Greg Hamilton, “2011 marks a year of transition for the A&D industry. The end of the shuttle era and cutbacks in defense spending are taking place concurrently with a rapid commercial aerospace manufacturing ramp up. While total jobs will rise, significant numbers of high-skill engineering jobs will be at risk, and our aerospace-management customers remain challenged finding key technology-leadership skill sets. Conducting this substantive Workforce Study each year allows Aviation Week to provide essential and actionable analysis for industry executives, professionals, and students.”

To find out more about aviation jobs including airline jobs and airport jobs, visit Airline Job Finder today and become a member. You will find out what different types of aviation jobs there are, what qualifications you need to pursue them, how to apply for airline or airport jobs, and tips for interviews, among other things. There are over 180 pages of information about airline jobs that you can get if you become a member and with the Job Board you can search for the most current aviation job openings including air traffic controller jobs, pilot jobs, air hostess jobs, airport security jobs, aircraft maintenance jobs and more.

Fish processing is a huge business in Alaska and as such there are plenty of fish harvesting and fish processing jobs available – not only for locals, but for foreigners as well. In fact you are more likely to find people who speak Spanish, Russian, French, or Japanese working on the Alaskan fishing vessels. Many students come from all over the world to work in Alaska during their GAP year and love the outdoor work, travel experience and the chance to earn a great amount of money.

One student from Poland said that he paid a recruitment agency about $3000 to get him a job working at a fish processing plant at a company called Sno-pac. During the peak salmon season the working day is around 16 hours and he earned minimum wage, although meals and accommodation are paid for as well. Working in the fishing industry in Alaska can see that you will make your money back quite quickly. 

Those fish processing plant owners who have employed student workers from outside the country say that results have been positive. Some have gone as record as saying that these employees work hard and are interesting to be around.

The hiring of foreign students began in the 1990s when they ran out of local workers to hire. The J-1 visa program is what allows some types of employers in the states to hire non-US Citizens for jobs in America. As you might imagine some Alaskans are not as enthusiastic about the program because it could result in fewer Alaskans being hired. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, those coming from afar are getting a truly unique work experience in Alaska — and employers appear happy.

The majority of the fish processors are eager to come back season after season and hope to improve their skills, knowledge, life experience and earn plenty of extra cash to pay for studies, travel and to take back home.

To learn more about the various fishing jobs you can get in Alaska working as a processor or on the fishing vessels themselves, you should become a member of the Alaska Job Finder website. Here you will not only discover the skills and qualifications you need to possess to apply for any job in Alaska, but you will also find out what fishing jobs pay, where you can work, what hours are required and what the working conditions are like.

Aside from this you will also find out how to go about applying for fishing jobs and other employment in Alaska, and you will discover tips for writing your resume and going for interviews. There are over 180 pages of information that you can use to learn about the various fishing employment opportunities in Alaska including crabbing and you can also research all the other ways you can make money by working in Alaska.

U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Enforcement and Regulation (BOEMRE) has given the Shell Oil Company conditional approval to begin drilling exploration oil wells in the Beaufort Sea as of July 2012. This approval has been given with the condition that Shell obtains all the necessary legal permits from relevant environmental agencies upon a full impact assessment of the area. The go ahead could mean plenty of oil industry jobs.

Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith said, “The conditional approval of our plan of exploration is welcome news and adds to our cautious optimism that we will be drilling our Alaska leases by this time next year. Shell’s Beaufort Sea plan of exploration includes drilling up to four wells over two years in the Beaufort Sea beginning in July of 2012. In a separate plan of exploration, Shell is pursuing a drilling program in the Chukchi Sea that would also commence in 2012. Shell has taken extraordinary steps to build confidence around our exploration program. We stand ready to deploy the most robust Arctic oil spill response system known to industry and, in accordance with the BOEMRE’s requirements, Shell has shown that our oil spill response capability exceeds our calculated worst-case discharge volume for the wells being proposed. Additionally, Shell remains committed to fabricating an oil spill capping system, which is designed to capture hydrocarbons at the source in the extremely unlikely event of a shallow water blowout. The capping system will remain staged in Alaska to allow for rapid deployment.”

The decision was based on various environmental factors and information taken from energy development in the Arctic, the director of BOEMRE, Michael Bromwich, explained, “We will closely review and monitor Shell’s proposed activities to ensure that any activities that take place under this plan will be conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.”

Hundreds of oil exploration jobs are expected to be created once this plan is finalized. Senator Lisa Murkowski revised the approval as a “positive step forward.” She state, “If this plan is allowed to advance this time, it could help address many of our most pressing challenges, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax revenues, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and improving our trade balance.”

Despite disappointment and outrage from environmentalists and various environmental organizations, the congress praised the decision wholeheartedly. Sen. Murkowski said in a prepared statement, “Shell has been working to secure approval of this plan for over five years. This is another positive step forward, and I’m hopeful that they will soon be able to move forward with exploration and production in the Beaufort.”

The approval gives Shell an exploration permit lasting 2 years in which they can explore 4 wells just off Camden Bay. If the plan goes ahead, you will find plenty of Alaska job openings which you can apply for including oil drilling jobs, oil exploration jobs, and more.

If you want to learn more about the types of oil jobs you can get, visit Oil Job Finder. Here you will gain access to a huge database of oil and gas industry professionals, employers and training programs. You will find out what types of oil and gas jobs you can get, as well as discover how much you can earn, what the working hours and conditions are like and where are the best places to find work. Oil jobs can also be found through the Job Board and you will also find application tips and interview advice so that you have the best chance of getting an oil job or gas job.

According to the latest NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Status of U.S. Fisheries Report, the Alaska fishing industry is on its way to being rebuilt. Senator Mark Begich, the Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard chairman, was pleased with the findings and praised the, today praised the Alaskan fishing industry and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council saying, “In Alaska, we do fisheries management right. The men and women of the fishing industry work closely with their representatives on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to ensure that our fishery management is fair and is based on sound science. When we do that, the result is both a robust seafood industry that employs thousands of Alaskans and healthy, sustainable marine ecosystems.”

The NOAA reported, “Scientists announced today that in 2010, 84 percent of the stocks examined for fishing activity (213 of 253 stocks) were free from overfishing, or not fished at too high a level, and 77 percent of the stocks with known population levels (159 of 207 stocks) were above the overfished level, that level too low to provide the maximum sustainable yield.”

There are about 90 thousand Alaska fishing jobs currently and this is only expected to grow as the $7.4 billion economy slowly rises. Begich commented, “People around the world look to Alaska when they want to see an example of good fishery management. I am proud of our process and all of the people who make it work.”

While overfishing is not an issue according to the findings, it did show that 2 species where at lower than desired levels. The southern Bering Sea tanner crab and Pribilof Islands Blue King Crab are not at the correct population levels according to the NOAA report, but scientists have said that this is not due to overfishing or any incorrect fishing practices. In the case of the Blue Crab for instance, environmental factors are playing a role in the lower population.

They commented, “Although it is often assumed that a stock has a low population due to too much fishing, other factors influence the health and abundance of fish stocks, including environmental changes, disease, and habitat degradation. Scientists believe that one of the stocks added to the overfished list, the Tanner crab in Alaska, may have been affected by environmental factors.”

In the midst of the overfishing that has been reported in the media of late, Eric Schwaab, the NOAA assistant administrator for Fisheries Service said, “We are making great progress ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks around the nation. We are turning a corner as we see important fish stocks rebounding.”

Schwaab added, “Commercial and recreational fishing depend on healthy and abundant fish stocks and marine ecosystems to provide lasting jobs, food and recreational opportunities. By working with the nation’s eight regional management fishery councils and commercial and recreational fishermen, we are making steady progress each year to fully rebuild overfished stocks.”

Alaska is doing the best so far out of all the states trying to reduce overfishing, but there are still many areas where overfishing is taking place, like the Delta area of California for instance. Once the fishing industry is completely rebuilt this means many more fishing jobs for people on a full time and part time basis. According to the NOAA, “Fully rebuilt, U.S fisheries are expected to add $31 billion to the economy and an additional 500 thousand fishing jobs.”

If you want to be involved in getting fish processing jobs and fish harvesting jobs in Alaska, you should visit Alaska Job Finder.

In a recent unemployment report, Alaska is once again well below the average for unemployment in the country with Fairbanks having the lower unemployment rate at just 6.5 % according to the Department of Labor. At the same time last year the rate was 6.8 %, so things are getting better and better all the time.

The national rate is currently at 8.7 % and this figure rises even more to 9.1 % when seasonally adjusted. Fairbanks also boasts the lowest rate in the state with Alaska averaging a 7.4 % unemployment rate. According to the statistics, jobs in Alaska were up this May in some sectors including the oil and gas industry which introduced 700 new oil and gas jobs.

However, some industries were down including seafood processing, wholesale trade, construction and food and beverage stores. Due to the federal census workers leaving, the government employment was also down and it has dropped by about 1500 people during the year. The local government, however, also dropped about 500 jobs this year.

Although Fairbanks and some other cities in Alaska has very low unemployment rates, the country should not be oblivious to the fact that there are places in Alaska that are suffering with some horrific unemployment up to 21 % or more.

Development is needed for the sustainment of the economy in Alaska and across America. Seasonal work may also brighten up things for the Alaskan unemployment rate, but once the season comes to a close, the rates will increase again as people are out of work.

In relation to this, the timber industry has decided to formulate a Timber Job Task Force in order to prepare and make recommendations for job creation in the timber industry in Alaska. This task force is being headed by nine members, as appointed by the Alaska Governor, Sean Parnell, who represent various sectors of the timber industry across the state. The task force is due to get to work this month and organize new timber industry jobs through the development of timber harvesting and recommendations with regards to federal, state and private lands.

If you want to find out more about the various jobs that you can get in beautiful Alaska and help to boost employment and economy of the State, visit Alaska Job Finder to learn more. You will get plenty of information about fishing jobs, oil jobs and summer jobs you can get in Alaska and how you can go about getting one of them.