Juneau below state, nation

The unemployment rate in Juneau and Alaska continues to fall as the economy strengthens, and is continuing to hold solidly below the national level.

Juneau’s unemployment rate in February fell a tenth of a percent from January, to 5.9 percent. In February of 2010 it was 7 percent, according to estimates released last week by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Research and Analysis Section.

Meanwhile, the statewide unemployment rate declined a tenth of a percent as well, to 8.5 percent. In February last year it was a full percentage point higher at 9.5 percent.

Those numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

That national unemployment rate for February, which is seasonally adjusted, was 8.9 percent, compared to Alaska’s seasonally adjusted number of 7.6 percent.

The improvements, while small, were spread throughout the state, according to state labor economists.

“As with the statewide February unemployment rate, nearly all of the area rates in Alaska are slightly below year-ago levels, an indicator that the state’s job market is improving,” said Alyssa Shanks, state labor economist.

Juneau’s rate was lowest in Southeast, with Sitka next at 7.1 percent, Ketchikan at 9.2 percent, Wrangell was at 10.9 percent, Haines at 13 percent, Petersburg at 3.8 percent, Yakutat at 14.9 percent, Hoonah-Angoon was at 26.2 percent and Skagway at 27.8 percent.

The Southeast average unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, with the region’s three bigger cites below that average and all of its smaller communities, mostly depending on fishing and tourism, much higher.

The number of people working in Alaska grew to 315,000, with gains of more than 1,000 each in health care, food services and drinking places, oil and gas jobs and financial services.

Construction and government were down somewhat from a year ago.

• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 586-4816 or Patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.