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.
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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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September 2026
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.
What happens when a city with fewer than 300 residents becomes a major freight and tourism hub, despite being accessible only by boat, plane, or a one-lane highway/railroad tunnel managed on a strict schedule?
If you’re in the City of Whittier, you get busy. The city has two separate transportation planning efforts underway, including a safety action plan under the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All initiative, which focuses on improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and emergency responders. The second is Whittier Moves, the city’s transportation master plan, which serves as the long-term roadmap for growth.