Alaska Employment: 313,800 Jobs Puts November Unemployment at 4.4 Percent

The seasonal number of jobs in Alaska shrank in November, raising the unemployment rate. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development puts the seasonally adjusted figure at 4.4 percent, up from 4.3 in October.

Monthly Jobs Down, Yearly Jobs Up

The statewide rate has been hovering near 4 percent since the start of 2022. The comparable national rate dropped slightly to 3.7 percent in November.

The unadjusted unemployment rate in the Anchorage area rose in November to 3.8 percent after dropping to 3.6 in October. Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough had the lowest unemployment of any region. Every area saw higher rates than the previous month except for the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area (at 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 in October), the Bristol Bay Borough (at 4.7 percent, down from 4.8 in October), and the Bethel Census Area, unchanged month to month at 9.5 percent.

Every area saw higher rates in November compared to a year earlier except four: Bristol Bay Borough, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Petersburg Borough, and Yakutat.

The total number of jobs in November was higher than a year earlier. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development counts 313,800 compared to 308,800. That annual growth of 5,000 jobs is a 1.6 percent increase, even though the job count is down from October’s 322,000.