Myrcedes recently joined Alaska as a Lounge hospitality host, becoming our 10,000th employee in Washington state. Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.

New year, new job? On the heels of hiring our 10,000^th employee in Washington state, we’re announcing our 2019 jobs forecast. We plan to add 3,000+ jobs, mostly frontline positions, across Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air in the next 12 months.

Three-quarters of the new jobs will reside in our home state.

We’re planning to hire a range of roles across different parts of Alaska and Horizon, including maintenance technicians, airport operations, pilots, customer service, cargo and flight attendants. A majority of the new jobs, which will be posted online at https://alaskaair.jobs and https://horizonair.jobs, do not require previous airline experience.

“An airline needs great planes, but also great people. We’re thankful for the community here in our home state that is producing diverse talent and strong local partnerships,” said Andy Schneider, Alaska Airlines vice president of people. “Together, we’re building long-term, sustainable growth across Washington and, most importantly, giving the next generation a chance to succeed.”

Growing our home state, together

In addition to our own workforce, we rely on a rich supply chain of manufacturing, service and technology providers, as well as local vendors, to create an airline people love – and keep growing.

Together, we contributed $7 billion to Washington’s economy, according to our just-released Economic Impact Study.

Report highlights:

• In 2017 alone, our operations contributed to 23,500+ jobs across the state, including positions at Alaska Air Group, companies in our supply chain and those supported by the earnings of our employees.
• Our total employment impact in Washington increased 42 percent over the past five years.
• We’ve doubled the number of partnerships we have with local vendors – Starbucks, Fremont Brewing, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to name a few.
• We spent nearly $2.4 billion on Boeing planes over the past five years, which created an additional $3.4 billion in economic activity in Washington.
• Of the $15.5 million we donated to charity in 2017, half went to charities in Washington state.

As we look ahead, Washington will continue to be a central focus, as we connect our guests at home and abroad. Sea-Tac is our largest hub for national and international passenger travel and cargo, and we’re committed to continue growing together.

Check out our full report to learn more.