Alaska Employment: Job Growth Doubles in February, Unemployment Rate Flat at 4.7%
Photo Credit: FUNTAP P | DREAMSTIME
Now that the first quarter of the calendar year is over, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) is catching up on the backlog of data. Two weeks after the first monthly figures for 2026, the department puts the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February at 4.7 percent, down slightly from January’s 4.8 percent and perfectly in line with nearly every month last year.
0.2 Is Twice as Big as 0.1
Alaska saw a streak of 4.7 percent unemployment every month since mid-2024, except for last July when it rose briefly to 4.8 percent, then again in December and January. (Data for September and October was unavailable due to the federal government shutdown.) Rates have been essentially flat since slowly climbing from a low point of 3.8 percent in August 2022.
The national unemployment rate returned to 4.4 percent after starting the year at 4.3 percent.
Seasonal adjustment means that labor economics use statistical methods to smooth the predictable fluctuations in, for example, the construction, fishing, and tourism sectors, which regularly peak in summer and decline in the winter. DOLWD says removing that expected seasonal fluctuation provides a clearer picture of whether rates are rising or falling, aside from normal ups and downs over the course of the year.
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The unadjusted unemployment rate in the Anchorage/Mat-Su Region dropped in February to 4.5 percent from 4.8 percent in January. Every region of Alaska saw lower rates compared to the month before, except for the Northern Region, which was flat at 7.1 percent. The Copper River Census Area (centered on Glennallen) saw a relatively large annual drop to 10 percent in February from an unusually high 13.7 percent a year before, sticking close to January’s 9.2 percent.
Total nonfarm employment stood at 326,600 in February, a rise of 4,700 jobs compared to the revised 321,900 total in January. Compared to a year earlier, Alaska gained 700 jobs for 0.2 percent growth, or double the growth rate from the previous month.
Federal employment (excluding uniformed military) held steady in February at 13,100, which was down 12.7 percent from 15,000 federal workers a year earlier. Those 1,900 jobs, combined with 200 jobs lost in the state government and 100 in local government, which includes public schools, nearly wiped out private sector gains.
Although total employment in Alaska has returned to the pre-recession level from more than a decade ago, the Information sector continues to shed jobs. The 4,100 counted in that sector in February was the same as in January but 200 fewer than a year earlier, for a 4.7 percent loss. Professional and Business Services also lost 200 jobs, declining 0.7 percent to 27,700, a slight rise since January.
All other industry sectors saw year-over-year growth. Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities had the highest percentage gain, adding 1,300 jobs compared to February 2025, for 5.8 percent growth.
Figures for March are scheduled for release in two weeks, and then DOLWD returns to its regular monthly cycle.
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