The AEDC 2013 Economic Forecast for Anchorage was today, and they did a great job, as usual. In addition to the forecast, they also provided a Live.Work.Play. update and brought Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class, to Anchorage. Today, I’m focusing on the forecast.
The big takeaway is that we are “still doing well” in Anchorage. Here are some stats from AEDC for you:
- Anchorage jobs increased by 1,800 in 2012; AEDC forecasts 1,700 for 2013.
- Anchorage has added 5,000 jobs in the last three years.
- 2012 unemployment rates dropped to 5.6 percent (the lowest since 2008), which Bill Popp, President and CEO of AEDC, says is “for all intents and purposes full employment.”
- The oil and gas sector and the financial sector are expected to decline in 2013, which is worrisome considering that both of these sectors have contributed substantially to our economy over the years.
- In 2013, AEDC projects that Anchorage will break the 300,000 population mark!
Overall, we’re “enjoying a period of slow, but steady growth.” The full report is available here: 2013 Economic Forecast. It’s definitely worth a read!
