April 21, 2000             No: 00-43

Contact: Neal_Fried          John Boucher      

Department of Labor and Workforce Development

News Release

Alaska Unemployment Begins Seasonal Decline in March
Statewide Jobless Rate 6.9% in March

Alaska's statewide unemployment rate began its seasonal decline in March, dropping six-tenths of a percentage point to 6.9%. The decline in unemployment placed this March's rate as the second-lowest statewide unemployment rate for March since 1978. The number of unemployed Alaskans dropped more than 1,700 to just under 21,800. John Boucher, a labor economist with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, reported the drop. The comparable national unemployment rate (civilian not seasonally adjusted) in March was 4.3%.

Last March, Alaska's unemployment rate was 7.5% and there were more than 23,300 unemployed Alaskans. The lowest rate for March was posted in March of 1998 at 6.6%.

March's seasonal unemployment decline was felt across most of the state as rates fell in nearly every area. Exceptions to the trend were noted in Kodiak, Haines, and several areas in southwest Alaska. The Wade Hampton Census Area had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 17.1%, while the Aleutians East Borough posted the lowest rate at 3.2%.

Higher unemployment rates in southwest Alaska and Kodiak are primarily a result of slower winter fisheries. The level of unemployment weeks claimed in the Aleutian Islands, for example, is nearly double what it was in March of 1999. The level of employment in the seafood processing industry in that region is more than 1,600 jobs below March 1999's level.

As unemployment began its seasonal decline in March, wage and salary jobs increased by 3,700 statewide. Every major sector of Alaska's economy added jobs last month. Seasonal gains in mining, construction and transportation characterized the state's job growth. Services industry job growth was broad-based while trade's depended largely on additional jobs in eating and drinking places. Government employment surged on the strength of temporary federal government employees added for the 2000 Census.

 Labor Force by Region and Census Area

Labor Force

Unemployment

Rate

Employment

3/00

2/00

3/99

3/00

2/00

3/99

3/00

2/00

3/99

3/00

2/00

3/99

Alaska Statewide

314,183

314,004

309,026

21,786

23,539

23,324

6.9

7.5

7.5

292,397

290,465

285,702

Anch./Mat-Su Region

173,117

173,203

167,828

9,401

10,008

9,943

5.4

5.8

5.9

163,716

163,195

157,885

Municipality of Anchorage

142,720

143,331

139,543

6,766

7,214

7,120

4.7

5.0

5.1

135,954

136,117

132,423

Mat-Su Borough

30,397

29,872

28,285

2,635

2,794

2,823

8.7

9.4

10.0

27,762

27,078

25,462

Gulf Coast Region

32,247

31,996

32,188

3,413

3,714

3,756

10.6

11.6

11.7

28,834

28,282

28,432

Kenai Peninsula Borough

20,855

20,795

20,932

2,565

2,856

2,897

12.3

13.7

13.8

18,290

17,939

18,035

Kodiak Island Borough

6,477

6,346

6,375

364

350

347

5.6

5.5

5.4

6,113

5,996

6,028

Valdez-Cordova

4,914

4,854

4,881

483

508

512

9.8

10.5

10.5

4,431

4,346

4,369

Interior Region

48,125

48,025

47,040

3,632

3,854

3,881

7.5

8.0

8.3

44,493

44,171

43,159

Denali Borough

1,213

1,218

1,170

150

162

138

12.4

13.3

11.8

1,063

1,056

1,032

Fairbanks North Star Bor.

42,403

42,243

41,413

2,842

2,968

3,038

6.7

7.0

7.3

39,561

39,275

38,375

Southeast Fairbanks

2,492

2,519

2,476

308

351

358

12.4

13.9

14.5

2,184

2,168

2,118

Yukon-Koyukuk

2,017

2,047

1,981

332

374

347

16.5

18.3

17.5

1,685

1,673

1,634

Northern Region

8,681

8,637

8,848

893

914

868

10.3

10.6

9.8

7,788

7,723

7,980

Nome

3,307

3,283

3,377

379

379

377

11.5

11.5

11.2

2,928

2,904

3,000

North Slope Borough

3,263

3,244

3,310

255

261

228

7.8

8.0

6.9

3,008

2,983

3,082

Northwest Arctic Borough

2,111

2,111

2,161

259

274

263

12.3

13.0

12.2

1,852

1,837

1,898

Southeast Region

37,102

37,245

37,284

3,022

3,610

3,578

8.1

9.7

9.6

34,080

33,635

33,706

Haines Borough

1,178

1,158

1,206

178

171

217

15.1

14.8

18.0

1,000

987

989

Juneau Borough

15,919

15,808

15,907

844

930

997

5.3

5.9

6.3

15,075

14,878

14,910

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

6,887

6,916

6,909

661

771

751

9.6

11.1

10.9

6,226

6,145

6,158

Pr. of Wales-Outer Ketch

3,231

3,356

3,357

524

684

680

16.2

20.4

20.3

2,707

2,672

2,677

Sitka Borough

4,058

4,059

4,075

201

252

260

5.0

6.2

6.4

3,857

3,807

3,815

Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

2,165

2,211

2,132

210

281

198

9.7

12.7

9.3

1,955

1,930

1,934

Wrangell-Petersburg

3,359

3,432

3,414

366

478

454

10.9

13.9

13.3

2,993

2,954

2,960

Yakutat Borough

302

305

284

36

43

21

11.9

14.1

7.4

266

262

263

Southwest Region

14,911

14,898

15,837

1,425

1,439

1,298

9.6

9.7

8.2

13,486

13,459

14,539

Aleutians East Borough

1,572

1,575

1,671

50

56

31

3.2

3.6

1.9

1,522

1,519

1,640

Aleutians West

1,982

1,979

2,073

141

141

88

7.1

7.1

4.2

1,841

1,838

1,985

Bethel

6,144

6,125

6,545

560

552

525

9.1

9.0

8.0

5,584

5,573

6,020

Bristol Bay Borough

647

651

693

77

83

79

11.9

12.7

11.4

570

568

614

Dillingham

1,799

1,813

1,901

166

183

140

9.2

10.1

7.4

1,633

1,630

1,761

Lake & Peninsula Bor.

596

591

645

59

55

66

9.9

9.3

10.2

537

536

579

Wade Hampton

2,171

2,166

2,310

372

370

370

17.1

17.1

16.0

1,799

1,796

1,940

Benchmark: March 1999

P/ denotes preliminary estimates

R/ denotes revised estimates

Comparisons between different time periods are not as meaningful as other time series produced by Research & Analysis.

The official definition of unemployment currently in place excludes anyone who has not made an active attempt to find work in the four-week period up to and including the week that includes the 12th of the reference month. Due to the scarcity of employment opportunities in rural Alaskan locations, many individuals do not meet the official definition of unemployed because they have not conducted an active job search. These individuals are considered not in the labor force.

Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section.
 

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