Alaska's March Unemployment
Rate Rises Slightly
Ketchikan's Unemployment
11.1%, Down From February's Reported 11.4%
April 25, 2002
Thursday - 12:15 am
March Unemployment
For Selected Areas
| U.S. |
06.1% |
| Alaska |
07.4% |
| Anchorage |
05.0% |
| Fairbanks |
06.4% |
| Kenai |
12.4% |
| Juneau |
05.6% |
| Yakutat |
19.6% |
| Sitka |
07.0% |
| Wrangell
- Petersburg |
11.7% |
| POW
- Outer Ketchikan |
15.9% |
| Ketchikan |
11.1% |
|
Alaska's unemployment rate
showed little change in March, increasing one-tenth of a percentage
point to 7.4%. Alaska typically sees its unemployment rate begin
to fall in March as some of the state's many seasonal jobs are
added back into the economy. The comparable national unemployment
rate was unchanged at 6.1%. Dan Robinson, a labor economist with
the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, reported
the numbers.
The number of unemployed Alaskans
in March grew by 325 to 24,012, an increase of 1.4% over the
month and 5.3% over the year.
Initial claims for unemployment
increased by almost 3,700 in March to 11,121, a jump of 49.6%
from last month, and 39% from March 2001. Part of the reason
for the significant increase was federal legislation that temporarily
extended unemployment benefits and created new eligibility for
certain unemployed persons.
The regional breakdown saw
Anchorage's unemployment rate mirror the movement of the state
as a whole, increasing a tenth of a percentage point to 5.0%.
Fairbanks saw a slight decline over the month,
|
from 6.6% in February
to 6.4% in March. Juneau's unemployment rate fell more noticeably,
dropping from 6.0% in February to 5.6% in March. The Southeast
Region as a whole saw a decrease from 9.7% to 9.2%. In contrast,
the Southwest Region's rate increased a full percentage point
from 9.8% to 10.8%, and the Northern Region saw an increase of
1.4 percentage points from 11.2% in February to 12.6% in March.
Wage and salary employment
figures for March show very modest growth. The state has added
about 3,800 jobs since March 2001, a growth rate of 1.4%. Approximately
3,000 of the new jobs have come from retail trade and the services
industries. Those areas, combined with growth in state and local
government, have compensated for some over-the-year job loss
in the oil industry and seafood processing.
Ketchikan's unemployment for
March 2002 is reported by the Alaska Dept. of Labor to be 11.1%
which is slightly down from the DOL's previously reported February
2002 unemployment figure of 11.4% .
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment
Rates
----
| March 2002: |
Alaska 6.5% |
U.S. 5.7% |
| February 2002: |
Alaska 5.7% |
U.S. 5.5% |
| March 2001: |
Alaska 6.3% |
U.S. 4.3% |
---
Ketchikan - March 2002
----
|
Labor Force |
Unemployment |
Rate |
Employment |
| 03/02 |
02/02 |
03/01 |
03/02 |
02/02 |
03/01 |
03/02 |
02/02 |
03/01 |
03/02 |
02/02 |
03/01 |
| 7,410 |
7.370* |
7,209 |
825 |
836* |
687 |
11.1% |
11.3%* |
9.5% |
6,585 |
6,534* |
6,522 |
Editor's Note: * As
reported by Dept. of Labor - In the DOL's Feb. 2002 Labor Report Ketchikan's Unemployment
was reported to be 11.4%; however, Ketchikan's Feb. 2002
unemployment rate is reported as 11.3% in AK DOL's March 2002
labor report.
Related Information:
Labor Force By Region & Census Area March
2002
Previous Articles:
February 2002: Alaska's
February Unemployment Rate Sets Record Low - Ketchikan's
Unemployment 11.4%, Up From January's 11.0%
January 2002: Alaska's
January Unemployment Rate Ties Record Low - Ketchikan's
Unemployment 11.0%, Up From December's 8.6%
Source of Information &
News Release:
Alaska Department of Labor
Web Site
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