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Alaska Unemployment Declines Further in April

May 18, 2000
No. 00-49

Alaska's statewide unemployment moved lower in April, dropping three-tenths of a percentage point to 6.6%. The decline in unemployment placed April's rate as the second-lowest statewide unemployment rate for April since 1978. Almost 20,900 Alaskans were unemployed in April, nearly 900 fewer than in March. John Boucher, a labor economist with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, reported the drop. Last April, Alaska's unemployment rate was 6.7% and there were 20,600 unemployed Alaskans.

state wide jobless rate 6.6% for April

The comparable national unemployment rate (civilian not seasonally adjusted) in April was 3.7%. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the national unemployment rate was 3.9%; this was the first time in over three decades that the national rate dipped below the four-percent mark. January 1970 was the last time the nation's unemployment rate was that low.

Alaska's urban areas led the way in April's jobless statistics. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau all had unemployment rates below the statewide average, while the Kenai and Matanuska-Susitna Boroughs both posted drops in their unemployment rates. Unemployment rates fell as urban areas of Alaska began gearing up for the construction and tourism seasons. "Construction, manufacturing and transportation led a drop of more than seven percent in unemployment insurance weeks claimed compared to March," Boucher said.

While Alaska's most populous areas experienced relatively low unemployment rates, rural Alaska continued to show high rates of unemployment. Of the twenty-seven geographic areas where unemployment is measured, thirteen had unemployment rates in excess of ten percent. The highest unemployment rates in the state were in the Wade Hampton census area at 18.2% and the Yukon-Koyukuk census area at 17.3%. The lowest rate was in the Aleutians East Borough at 2.7%.

Accompanying April's decline in unemployment was a statewide increase of 6,200 wage and salary jobs. Every major sector of Alaska's economy except mining added jobs last month. Seasonal gains in construction, trade, services and transportation characterized the state's job growth in April. Manufacturing employment got an unusual surge in seafood processing employment as the delayed opilio crab harvest began. Services' industry job growth was broad-based while trade's was largely additional jobs in eating and drinking places. Federal government employment dropped from March's unusually high level. This was attributed to a decline in the temporary federal workforce added for the 2000 Census.

Labor Force By Region and Census Area

Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment

Apr-00

Mar-00

Apr-99

Apr-00

Mar-00

Apr-99

Apr-00

Mar-00

Apr-99

Apr-00

Mar-00

Apr-99

Alaska Statewide 314,798 314,168 308,236 20,884 21,771 20,642 6.6 6.9 6.7 293,914 292,397 287,594
Anchorage/Mat-Su Region 172,288 172,957 167,363 9,128 9,394 9,016 5.3 5.4 5.4 163,160 163,563 158,347
Municipality of Anchorage 141,987 142,518 138,904 6,587 6,761 6,520 4.6 4.7 4.7 135,400 135,757 132,384
Mat-Su Borough 30,301 30,439 28,459 2,541 2,633 2,496 8.4 8.7 8.8 27,760 27,806 25,963
Gulf Coast Region 32,513 32,212 32,604 3,223 3,409 3,392 9.9 10.6 10.4 29,290 28,803 29,212
Kenai Peninsula Borough 20,901 20,832 21,048 2,322 2,562 2,519 11.1 12.3 12 18,579 18,270 18,529
Kodiak Island Borough 6,636 6,471 6,599 426 364 405 6.4 5.6 6.1 6,210 6,107 6,194
Valdez-Cordova 4,976 4,909 4,957 475 483 468 9.5 9.8 9.4 4,501 4,426 4,489
Interior Region 48,838 48,072 48,026 3,470 3,629 3,338 7.1 7.5 7 45,368 44,443 44,688
Denali Borough 1,207 1,211 1,170 123 149 102 10.2 12.3 8.7 1,084 1,062 1,068
Fairbanks North Star Borough 43,042 42,357 42,360 2,703 2,840 2,626 6.3 6.7 6.2 40,339 39,517 39,734
Southeast Fairbanks 2,512 2,489 2,470 285 308 277 11.3 12.4 11.2 2,227 2,181 2,193
Yukon-Koyukuk 2,077 2,015 2,025 359 332 333 17.3 16.5 16.4 1,718 1,683 1,692
Northern Region 8,527 8,768 8,541 933 894 868 10.9 10.2 10.2 7,594 7,874 7,673
Nome 3,251 3,339 3,268 396 379 383 12.2 11.4 11.7 2,855 2,960 2,885
North Slope Borough 3,191 3,296 3,185 258 255 222 8.1 7.7 7 2,933 3,041 2,963
Northwest Arctic Borough 2,085 2,132 2,088 279 259 263 13.4 12.1 12.6 1,806 1,873 1,825
Southeast Region 37,911 37,301 37,791 2,678 3,021 2,755 7.1 8.1 7.3 35,233 34,280 35,036
Haines Borough 1,169 1,184 1,217 135 178 189 11.5 15 15.5 1,034 1,006 1,028
Juneau Borough 16,317 16,008 16,315 732 844 817 4.5 5.3 5 15,585 15,164 15,498
Ketchikan Gateway Borough 7,042 6,924 6,990 605 661 589 8.6 9.5 8.4 6,437 6,263 6,401
Pr. of Wales-Outer Ketchikan 3,254 3,247 3,242 455 524 459 14 16.1 14.2 2,799 2,723 2,783
Sitka Borough 4,193 4,081 4,173 205 201 207 4.9 4.9 5 3,988 3,880 3,966
Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon 2,173 2,177 2,158 151 210 148 6.9 9.6 6.9 2,022 1,967 2,010
Wrangell-Petersburg 3,447 3,377 3,402 353 366 325 10.2 10.8 9.6 3,094 3,011 3,077
Yakutat Borough 316 303 293 41 36 20 13 11.9 6.8 275 267 273
Southwest Region 14,721 14,858 13,912 1,452 1,424 1,274 9.9 9.6 9.2 13,269 13,434 12,638
Aleutians East Borough 1,538 1,566 1,465 41 50 39 2.7 3.2 2.7 1,497 1,516 1,426
Aleutians West 1,927 1,975 1,834 115 141 109 6 7.1 5.9 1,812 1,834 1,725
Bethel 6,090 6,122 5,747 596 559 514 9.8 9.1 8.9 5,494 5,563 5,233
Bristol Bay Borough 631 643 591 71 76 57 11.3 11.8 9.6 560 567 534
Dillingham 1,783 1,793 1,682 176 166 152 9.9 9.3 9 1,607 1,627 1,530
Lake & Peninsula Borough 588 594 556 60 59 53 10.2 9.9 9.5 528 535 503
Wade Hampton 2,163 2,164 2,035 393 372 349 18.2 17.2 17.1 1,770 1,792 1,686

Alaska Nonagricultural Wage & Salary Employment

preliminary revised Changes from:
Apr-00 Mar-00 Apr-99 Mar-00 Apr-99
Total Nonagricultural Employment 275,500 269,300 270,100 6,200 5,400
Mining 9,500 9,600 9,600 -100 -100
Construction 12,500 11,400 12,200 1,100 300
Manufacturing 13,200 12,200 12,700 1,000 500
Transportation, Commun. & Utilities 25,700 25,100 24,500 600 1,200
Trade 55,600 54,000 55,000 1,600 600
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 12,600 12,600 12,500 0 100
Services & Misc. 70,300 68,800 68,000 1,500 2,300
Government 76,100 75,600 75,600 500 500

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