During the recession, Alaska enjoyed several years of below-average unemployment rates. Now, with low oil prices and a stronger U.S. economy, Alaska’s March unemployment rate of 6.5% is a full percent above the comparable national rate at 5.5%.
March unemployment is up two points from February, which had been boosted by the winter Pollock fishery in the Aleutians.
Economists say jobs were more difficult to find than usual during the early part of this year. Locally, the Gulf Coast had a steady market, with growth in seafood processing, mining, leisure and hospitality balancing the effects of healthcare and government job cuts. For the Kenai, unemployment was at 9.5%, up from last March’s 9.2%.
In Anchorage the retail sector was hiring, but the lack of snow led to a declines in the hospitality and leisure industries.
In other areas, particularly in the bush, the bite of federal cuts reduced the number of government jobs available.
This time last year things looked worse. Alaska’s unemployment rate was sitting at 6.9% and the national average was hovering around 6.6%.