(a) Immediately following a determination by the commissioner that an economically distressed zone exists, and for the next two fiscal years after the determination, qualified residents of the zone who are eligible under AS 36.10.140 shall be given preference in hiring for at least 50 percent of employment on each project under AS 36.10.180 that is wholly or partially sited within the zone. The preference applies on a craft-by-craft or occupational basis.
(b) The commissioner shall determine that an economically distressed zone exists if the commissioner finds that
(1) the per capita income of residents of the zone is less than 90 percent of the per capita income of the United States as a whole, or the unemployment rate in the zone exceeds the national rate of unemployment by at least five percentage points;
(2) the lack of employment opportunities in the zone has substantially contributed to serious social or economic problems in the zone; and
(3) employment of workers who are not residents is a peculiar source of unemployment of residents of the zone.