Photos: Starting over after oil industry layoffs

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Talkeetna resident Bronn Salmon, far right, lost his job as a well service technician in the Prudhoe Bay oil fields in February. He’s pictured here with his family, from left: Jodi, Brielle, Brayson and Bronn.

The prolonged oil price slump that has forced producers to shelve projects and mothball drilling rigs has led to hundreds of layoffs in Alaska's petroleum industry since the spring of 2015. Economists at the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development now predict a total loss of more than 2,000 good-paying jobs by the end of this year.

The reductions have led to the biggest slowdown in the Alaska oil patch in years. The changes are reshaping lives as former employees look for work in new industries and struggling families ponder their next steps.

To put a face on the losses, the Alaska Dispatch News recently asked three laid-off workers to share their stories.

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