April Unemployment Rate Holds Steady
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A downward trend in Alaska’s unemployment rate leveled out in April, matching the revised rate for March. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development puts the seasonally adjusted figure for both months at 4.9 percent.
Flat Start to Q2
The rate in Alaska remains above the national rate of 3.6 percent, which likewise was unchanged from a month before.
The unadjusted rate in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough was a combined 4.3 percent, down from 4.5 in March. Unemployment in the Interior and Southeast Alaska also dropped, to 4.6 and 4.3 percent, respectively.
Total number of jobs increased 2.2 percent since April 2021, with 6,700 more Alaskans employed than a year earlier. That figure is still 11,800 below April 2019, a slightly smaller difference than the shortfall in March.
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October 2025
The leisure and hospitality sector had 3,900 more jobs than last April, when restaurants and tourism businesses were uncertain about the upcoming summer season. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector was up by 900 jobs year over year. The 7,200 jobs in the oil and gas sector held steady from the previous month, about 500 more than year-ago levels but 2,700 less than in 2019.
Local government was up by 900 jobs year over year. State government employment also fell 900 below last year’s level. Federal employment is the same as in April 2021 and has now risen above its pre-pandemic level by about 500 jobs in Alaska.
Presidential Order Reverses Ambler Roadblock
An executive greenlight for a road to the Ambler Mining District, and federal ownership in the venture, leaves talks with Native landowners still to be done.
Tiny Homes for Anchorage Homeless Expected in Time for Holidays
Builders expect to finish twenty-four tiny houses by Thanksgiving to shelter homeless Anchorage residents transitioning to permanent housing.
From Plan to Action: Workforce Convening Centers on Coordinated Training Strategies
An upcoming Workforce Convening will formally introduce a new coordinated plan for labor training in Alaska, highlighting education and employment strategies and opportunities.
As we have annually since 1985, we are again celebrating the Top 49ers, local Alaska companies ranked by gross revenue. These home-grown companies participate in all of the state’s major industries, generate more than $28 billion in gross revenue, and employ more than 24,000 Alaskans. The special section holds not only the official 2025 Top 49ers ranks but also highlights of their activities, their plans for the future, and other exciting content. Enjoy!