Written by S.J. Klein
Updated: 3 hours ago Published: 3 hours ago
I run a small business in this town. My business depends on employees who care about food safety, do the right thing, and show up to work. I must say that since the pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult to find such talent. Anchorage, really the entire state, has a significant workforce shortage.
If you can show up to work on time, be prepared for work, and have basic skills, you can punch your own ticket in this town. It's a great time in the Alaska job market. But the situation is not so good for the long-term health of employers and states.
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The labor market is economically like any other market. When supply exceeds demand, labor becomes cheap. When supply is short, labor becomes expensive. Furthermore, it is difficult to secure human resources for entry-level jobs such as those for new entrepreneurs. Frankly, when there is a labor shortage, some jobs pay well and are low in demand.
I'm not writing this opinion piece because Sprout should pay its entry-level employees more. It's a cost of doing business, and eventually you'll notice the prices have gone up when you go to your favorite pho restaurant. I'm writing about this because there is an opportunity under a new administration to focus on new labor policies. If we want Alaska to grow, we need more people. I don't think the governor's office is paying attention to this issue, but I hope the new mayor will.
There are four things I want the new mayor to focus on. Both will make my life easier as an employer. education, housing, quality of life, and workforce recruitment. Each of these goals should shape policies that make people want to move here. These should be central to any government.
Education is not the direct purview of the Mayor. We elect a school board that runs our schools. But with all due respect to my friends who are educators, our school system needs some serious work. I hope this Education and Career Academy model works for high school students too, and I would love to see a later start date, but there is something fundamentally missing in our education system, perhaps in terms of expectations, that is causing kids to underperform. As long as our schools are underperforming, new families will be leaving the state. Our Mayor needs to be a cheerleader and a voice for the school district.
Housing is also an area where the mayor has little influence. It's nearly impossible to build housing in this city, and several mayors have tried to streamline the construction process in Anchorage but failed. We need policies that prioritize abundance. What can we do to create more housing? Whatever the options, I think the answer needs to be all of the above. If people can't afford to buy a home here, how can we expect them to stay here?
Quality of life is completely in the mayor's jurisdiction. We've had great mayors in the past who worked to improve our quality of life, including world-class parks and trail systems, commitment to the arts, keeping our streets clear to traffic, and cleaning up trash. This is what we expect from our mayor. The new mayor has unique challenges. Our downtown has been given over to the homeless, and so are many public spaces. People don't feel connected to Anchorage as a community. Broadway Alaska showed that people want a vibrant, active downtown. The new mayor must make Anchorage a welcoming and open place for all.
The last challenge, human resource development, is a Gordian knot. The last two US presidents have restricted immigration because they thought it had a positive impact on labor policy. Anyone can find a job if they want to. But they're looking at it the other way around. Employers are the engine of growth in our economy. And if we can't retain employees, we can't grow.
My family immigrated to the United States four generations ago. They lived in immigrant communities in New York and were part of the workforce that built the U.S. garment industry. If you want to make something competitive, you need cheap labor. Right now, that's not an option for most employers here in town. We need to bring more people into town for jobs at all levels of the economy. Without that focus, we won't have a city that grows and thrives. We're going to see more boarded up storefronts and dilapidated properties.
I want to see amazing things happen in our city. I know that Anchorage is a place where anything can happen if you have the vision and drive. If the new mayor focuses on what makes people want to live here, build here, and call this place home, we will only see better things. This is a vision we all hope to realize. I wish the new mayor the best of luck. She has a big hill to climb.
SJ Klein is the owner of Alaska Sprouts, a member of the Fairview Community Council, former chair of the Homeless, Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee, and a member of the AMATS Citizen Advisory Committee.
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