There’s plenty to get excited about when it comes to human resource careers in Alaska because they often lead to great advancement opportunities that result in high salaries. For example, training and development specialists in Alaska earn an annual average salary of $85,050 – the highest in the nation for this specialty, while Alaska’s human resources assistants were ranked third in the nation with an annual average salary of $46,110.
How to Command a Higher Salary
When local employers like the University of Alaska, Nabors Industries Chugach Electric, HCA Healthcare, and Alyeska Resort search for candidates to fill human resources positions, they often offer salaries based on experience and prefer graduate-educated applicants. As a result, the most successful HR professionals in the business often attract high paying jobs by:
- Building strong work histories through volunteer positions, field-related internships, and paid positions
- Earning a Master’s in Human Resources (MHR) degree from an accredited college or university
- Becoming a certified human resources professional from an established certifying body like the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) or the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Human Resources Management Salaries in Alaska
The highest earners in both Anchorage and Alaska’s nonmetropolitan areas are human resource managers, who earned a median salary of $98,710 in Anchorage and a median salary of $115,080 in the nonmetro area.
The following tables provide a closer look at what HR management professionals earn at all levels, both in Anchorage and Alaska’s nonmetropolitan area:
Anchorage
Non-Metro Alaska
Human Resources Specialist and Assistant Salaries in Alaska
Labor relations specialists were the top earners among all HR specialists and assistants in both Anchorage and nonmetropolitan Alaska, earning a median salary of $80,670 and $88,110, respectively.
Additional information on salary stats for Alaska’s HR specialists and assistants in both Anchorage and the state’s nonmetropolitan areas can be found in the following tables:
Anchorage
Non-Metro Alaska
Salary and employment data compiled by the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2018 for human resources managers, specialists, and assistants – https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ak.htm#11-9111. The BLS salary data shown here represents median – 90th percentile salary ranges for the state and its MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries.
Job growth projections sourced from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2016-2026) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
All salary and job growth data accessed in October 2019.