Haines Junction's economy is linked to the community's location along the Alaska Highway and to its role as access point to Kluane National Park and Reserve. Kluane is a wilderness park with hiking, skiing and cycling trails. Vehicle access to the park is limited to Mush Lake and the Alsek valley; snowmobile access is limited to Kathleen Lake.
The government services sector provides a significant share of work - about 27 percent of overall employment, compared with 21 percent for this sector across the Yukon. Haines Junction is home to the administrative centre for Kluane National Park and Reserve, as well as a variety of territorial government services. In addition, Haines Junction is the centre for CAFN administration, which now encompasses administration and provision of a variety of municipal and social services.
Six percent of the workforce is employed in education services, close to the Yukon-wide level of 7 percent. Health services account for about 6 percent of employment in Haines Junction, compared to 9 percent overall in the Yukon.
Tourism-related economic activity is a major part of community employment. The accommodation and food services and wilderness tourism services employs about 12 percent of the workforce, compared to a 9-percent share across the Yukon. Transportation is another significant component of the local economy, accounting for 5 percent of employment, slightly above the Yukon average of 4 percent. The "other services" sector, which includes recreation and arts, accounts for 6 percent of employment, close to the Yukon average of 7 percent. Retail trade's almost 11-percent share of industry employment is about the same as it is for the Yukon.
Construction activity provides about 8 percent of employment, in line with the Yukon as a whole. Other sectors that offer employment in the Haines Junction area include communications, agriculture, forestry and manufacturing. Industry sectors like mining, finance, and information and business services are too small a part of the Haines Junction economy to be measurable in the Census.
Traditional activities also play a role in the economy and lifestyle of Haines Junction, especially for First Nations people. Fur trapping is practiced on both a full-time and part-time basis, and most First Nation community members exercise their subsistence rights to hunt and fish.
