In November 2024, the State of Alaska released revisions to three mandatory state labor law posters applicable to all Alaska employers. The updated notices include a revised Wage & Hour Act notice reflecting the 2025 Alaska Minimum Wage, the Safety & Health Protection Act notice, and the Unemployment Insurance poster. Alaska-based employers should post the revised versions of the Safety & Health Protection Act notice and the Unemployment Insurance notice as soon as possible. Employers must display the revised 2025 Wage & Hour Act notice on or before January 1st, 2025.
2025 Alaska Minimum Wage Rate
The 2025 Alaska minimum wage rate of $11.91 per hour takes effect on January 1st. The revised poster, published and enforced by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, displays the new rate. It also explicitly states that school bus drivers in the state must receive at least twice the minimum wage.
The 2025 rate reflects an eighteen-cent increase over the previous minimum wage of $11.73 per hour. Current Alaska state law requires an annual adjustment to the minimum wage using the prior year’s Consumer Price Index in the Anchorage metropolitan area ("Anchorage CPI-U"). According to the state's Department of Labor, the Anchorage CPI-U rose 1.5% in 2023. Applying that percentage led to an eighteen-cent increase in 2025.
Safety and Health Protection Act: Increase Penalties
The Safety and Health Protection notice, enforced by the Alaska Labor Standards and Safety Division, includes updates to proposed penalty amounts. Mandatory penalties for serious violations are rising from $15,625 to $16,131, and penalties for willful or repeated violations are increasing from $156,259 to $161,131. The state updates its maximum proposed penalties each year to match the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration's (OSHA's) penalty amounts.
The state's mandatory safety poster lists employers' and employees' rights and obligations for all work performed in Alaska. It includes sections on inspections, citations and penalties, complaint processes, toxic & hazardous substances information, and injury & illness reporting requirements.
Alaska Unemployment Insurance: DOL Funding
The State of Alaska's Unemployment Insurance notice now reflects language explaining that the state's program is 100% funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant. The grant amounts to $24,412,663 in insurance funds.
In addition to explaining how the state's program is funded, the mandatory Alaska Unemployment Insurance poster also includes provisions describing how the program operates. Administered by the Division of Employment and Training Services, the state's program provides partial replacement of wages to individuals between jobs. The currently required notice explains taxes, claims, and refunds under the Alaska Unemployment Insurance Program.
Employer Takeaways
Alaska employers must take steps to conspicuously display the revised notices in an area frequented by employees. Failure to comply with state and federal labor laws can result in citations, fines, penalties, and possible exposure to employee lawsuits. Employers must post the revised 2025 Wage & Hour Act Notice by January 1st, 2025. Covered employers must also increase the wage rates of employees whose current compensation rate falls below the new 2025 minimum.
The other two revised notices addressing Job Safety & Health Protection and Unemployment Insurance took effect immediately upon release. As such, Alaska employers must immediately replace the prior versions of these notices with the revised versions.
Labor Law Posters Online's revised 2025 Alaska State & Federal Labor Law Poster includes these recent posting revisions. Our all-on-one state & federal compliance solution is guaranteed to include all recent mandatory updates to any required state and federal notices. Existing Labor Law Posters Online customers who purchased an annual poster update program will receive the revised notices automatically at no additional cost.
