Keeping jobs in-state is important to Alaskans, both for our quality of life and long-term economic stability. Not to mention, people who work closer to home are happier, and in general, make better employees. These are just a couple of reasons why the oil and gas industry works to put Alaskans first. While ours is the only oil-producing state that tracks residency hire, we are fortunate to be able to analyze data provided by the Alaska’s Department of Labor.