Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced that the state’s September job count was down 11.% from last September, a loss of 37,600 jobs. The COVID-19 public health emergency kept job counts below 2019 levels in all industries except federal government, which was up 900 jobs from last September due to temporary hiring for the 2020 Census.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s unemployment rate for September was 5.9%, which was the highest rate in the Gulf Coast Region. It also was higher than the Municipality of Anchorage, which came in at 4.9%.
Throughout the state, the leisure and hospitality industry was down the most, with 13,600 fewer jobs than last September, marking a loss of around 33%. The transportation, warehousing, and utilities sector had 6,000 fewer jobs, mainly in scheduled air transportation, as well as scenic and sightseeing transportation.
