State labor officials say employment in Alaska was up an estimated 0.5 percent in June, or 1,700 jobs, from the same month in 2018.
Construction added 700 jobs, followed by 500 in the oil and gas industry. Manufacturing, mostly in seafood processing, was up 400 jobs.
Financial jobs fell by 400 jobs and the information sector and “other services” category each lost 200 positions.
Alaska had 200 more federal jobs than for the same period a year ago, while local governments lost 200 jobs and state government 100.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.4 percent. The comparable national rate rose to 3.7 percent.
Non-seasonally adjusted rates fell in 19 boroughs and census areas, rose in nine and remained the same in Anchorage. Fisheries drove the lowest rates and largest monthly declines, with rates in the Aleutians East Borough, Aleutians West Census Area and Bristol Bay Borough all dropping more than a percentage point to less than 4 percent.
Unemployment for rural areas was highest in the Kusilvak Census Area was at 23.2 percent. Lowest rates in urban centers were at 5.2percent I Anchorage, 5.4 percent in Fairbanks and 4.3 percent in Juneau.
