Alaska’s employment was up an estimated 0.6 percent in December, or 1,900 jobs, from December 2018.
December’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Alaska and the U.S. remained the same as the month before, at 6.1 percent and 3.5 percent.
Leisure and hospitality gained the most jobs over the year at 600, closely trailed by oil and gas, professional and business services, and health care, which each gained 400 jobs. Retail lost 200 jobs and information fell by 100. Alaska also lost 400 state government jobs, while the federal government increased by 100, mainly due to the U.S. Census Bureau hiring short-term workers to conduct the 2020 Census.
Even at 6.1 percent, Alaska retains the highest unemployment rate in the U.S.
Karinne Wiebold, state economist, with takeaways on Alaska finishing last in the nation despite recent growth: “Basically, we’re just growing slowly. We’ve been adding jobs since September of last year. We’ve pulled out of our longest recession, but this growth is pretty slow. We’re not roaring out of it. At this point, we’re seeing growth in almost all industries and in all areas around the state. At least, we did in December, so that’s really encouraging.”
The states directly above Alaska in unemployment rate are Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.