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Summer's End Nudges Unemployment Upward

Oct. 20, 2000
No. 01-07

September Unemployment for selected areasThe end of Alaska's summer seafood processing season pushed Alaska's statewide unemployment upward in September. The statewide rate climbed seven-tenths of a percentage point to 5.0%. The number of unemployed Alaskans increased by nearly 1,800 from August, pushing the total number of unemployed over 16,000. John Boucher, a labor economist with Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, reported the change.

The statewide unemployment rate showed a slight increase when compared to September of 1999. One year ago the unemployment rate was 4.9% and nearly 15,400 Alaskans were unemployed. The corresponding unemployment rate for the U.S. in September was 3.8%.

September's increase in unemployment was strongly linked to the winding down of two prominent Alaska summer industries-fishing and tourism. Fish processing plants shed more than 4,000 jobs statewide in September as the peak salmon processing season passed. Larger than average increases in unemployment in Kodiak, Wrangell-Petersburg, and some areas in Southwest Alaska were largely attributable to declining fish processing employment. Kodiak was particularly hard hit by a disappointing pollock harvest; unemployment soared from 3.4% in August to 15.4% in September. Tourism-related unemployment increases were noted in the Denali and Kenai Peninsula Boroughs, and the Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area. These hot spots for summer tourism typically experience surges of unemployment as the visitor season winds down.

The lowest unemployment rate in the state was posted in the Haines Borough, where 3.0% of the labor force was unemployed. The state's highest rate was in the Kodiak Island Borough at 15.4%.

Wage and salary employment statistics showed state and local governments accounting for most of the job gains in September, all of them education-related. Nearly every sector of the economy experienced job losses in September, and the net result was a loss of 6,600 jobs. The manufacturing sector in Alaska's coastal regions experienced the greatest job losses as seafood processors let go of employees following the peak salmon processing season. 


Labor Force By Region and Census Area

Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Sep-00 Aug-00 Sep-99 Sep-00 Aug-00 Sep-99 Sep-00 Aug-00 Sep-99 Sep-00 Aug-00 Sep-99
Alaska Statewide 321,958 327,797 316,197 16,024 14,249 15,409 5 4.3 4.9 305,934 313,548 300,788
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Anchorage/Mat-Su Region 173,596 174,234 169,153 7,115 6,556 7,135 4.1 3.8 4.2 166,481 167,678 162,018
Municipality of Anchorage 142,273 142,461 139,061 5,322 4,877 5,291 3.7 3.4 3.8 136,951 137,584 133,770
Mat-Su Borough 31,323 31,773 30,092 1,793 1,679 1,844 5.7 5.3 6.1 29,530 30,094 28,248
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Gulf Coast Region 34,322 36,048 34,550 2,711 1,786 2,454 7.9 5 7.1 31,611 34,262 32,096
Kenai Peninsula Borough 21,317 23,041 22,244 1,266 1,308 1,885 5.9 5.7 8.5 20,051 21,733 20,359
Kodiak Island Borough 7,918 7,520 7,085 1,216 256 280 15.4 3.4 4 6,702 7,264 6,805
Valdez-Cordova 5,087 5,486 5,220 229 221 288 4.5 4 5.5 4,858 5,265 4,932
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Interior Region 50,035 51,302 49,296 2,300 2,211 2,294 4.6 4.3 4.7 47,735 49,091 47,002
Denali Borough 1,196 1,206 1,179 55 33 56 4.6 2.7 4.7 1,141 1,173 1,123
Fairbanks North Star Borough 44,281 45,427 43,643 1,837 1,778 1,851 4.1 3.9 4.2 42,444 43,649 41,792
Southeast Fairbanks 2,563 2,611 2,479 220 201 172 8.6 7.7 6.9 2,343 2,410 2,307
Yukon-Koyukuk 1,995 2,057 1,995 188 198 215 9.4 9.6 10.8 1,807 1,859 1,780
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Northern Region 8,371 8,224 7,830 900 830 779 10.8 10.1 9.9 7,471 7,394 7,051
Nome 3,128 3,093 2,908 319 313 257 10.2 10.1 8.8 2,809 2,780 2,651
North Slope Borough 3,239 3,157 2,981 354 301 258 10.9 9.5 8.7 2,885 2,856 2,723
Northwest Arctic Borough 2,003 1,975 1,941 226 216 264 11.3 10.9 13.6 1,777 1,759 1,677
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Southeast Region 40,822 42,203 40,672 1,792 1,671 1,769 4.4 4 4.3 39,030 40,532 38,903
Haines Borough 1,181 1,217 1,179 36 28 38 3 2.3 3.2 1,145 1,189 1,141
Juneau Borough 17,945 18,562 17,949 680 633 740 3.8 3.4 4.1 17,265 17,929 17,209
Ketchikan Gateway Borough 7,496 7,741 7,472 366 336 365 4.9 4.3 4.9 7,130 7,405 7,107
Pr. of Wales-Outer Ketchikan 3,348 3,502 3,297 248 282 207 7.4 8.1 6.3 3,100 3,220 3,090
Sitka Borough 4,564 4,736 4,565 146 148 162 3.2 3.1 3.5 4,418 4,588 4,403
Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon 2,355 2,411 2,297 116 85 65 4.9 3.5 2.8 2,239 2,326 2,232
Wrangell-Petersburg 3,610 3,700 3,586 182 140 169 5 3.8 4.7 3,428 3,560 3,417
Yakutat Borough 322 335 326 18 19 23 5.6 5.7 7.1 304 316 303
Labor Force Unemployment Rate Employment
Southwest Region 14,811 15,786 14,696 1,206 1,194 979 8.1 7.6 6.7 13,605 14,592 13,717
Aleutians East Borough 1,599 1,673 1,573 64 27 25 4 1.6 1.6 1,535 1,646 1,548
Aleutians West 1,957 2,086 1,954 100 94 81 5.1 4.5 4.1 1,857 1,992 1,873
Bethel 6,190 6,588 6,173 557 546 493 9 8.3 8 5,633 6,042 5,680
Bristol Bay Borough 602 644 599 27 28 20 4.5 4.3 3.3 575 616 579
Dillingham 1,741 1,850 1,757 93 83 96 5.3 4.5 5.5 1,648 1,767 1,661
Lake & Peninsula Borough 593 631 565 51 50 19 8.6 7.9 3.4 542 581 546
Wade Hampton 2,127 2,313 2,074 312 366 244 14.7 15.8 11.8 1,815 1,947 1,830

 

Alaska Nonagricultural Wage & Salary Employment

preliminary revised   Changes from:
Sep-00 Aug-00 Sep-99 Aug-00 Sep-99
Total Nonagricultural Employment 295,300 301,900 292,200 -6,600 3,100
Mining 10,200 10,100 9,300 100 900
Construction 17,000 17,800 16,600 -800 400
Manufacturing 15,500 19,700 17,400 -4,200 -1,900
Transportation, Commun. & Utilities 28,700 29,400 28,200 -700 500
Trade 60,400 62,100 60,000 -1,700 400
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 12,900 13,300 13,000 -400 -100
Services & Misc. 76,100 78,300 73,800 -2,200 2,300
Government 74,500 71,200 73,900 3,300 600

 

Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates

September 2000: Alaska 6.3% U.S. 3.9%
August 2000: Alaska 5.8% U.S. 4.1%
September 1999: Alaska 5.6% U.S. 4.2%

*Government includes employees of public schools and the University of Alaska.
Benchmark date: March 1999

Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section.

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