Seasonally adjusted labor force figures within the Valdez-Cordova Census Area as of Sept. 16 stood at 5,013 employed and 344, or 6.9 percent on unemployment rolls, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development said.
That compared with 5,649 employed and 306, or 5.4 percent unemployed on Aug. 16, and 5,057 employed and 326, or 6.4 percent jobless on Sept. 15, 2015.
The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.9 percent in September, up slightly from 6.8 percent in August, and above the comparable national rate of 5 percent, state labor officials said.
Kusilvak Census Area posted the highest unemployment rate, at 16.4 percent, followed by Northwest Arctic Borough, AT 16.2 percent, and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, at 15.8 percent, according to the report issued Oct. 21 by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The lowest rate was in the Aleutians East Borough, 2.8 percent, with the Aleutians West Census Area and Skagway at 3.4 percent.
The state’s wage and salary employment estimates show September’s job count was down 2.6 percent from the previous September. There were substantial job losses in oil and construction related industries, with state government making up most of the decline, but losses also extended to other industries, including the retail trade.
Jobs in health care and within the federal government increased in September.
