Unemployment in Alaska increased four-tenths of a percentage point in November to 6.1 percent, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The increase in the jobless rate is in line with the department's expectations for November, when seasonal employment continues to decline.
Nearly 21,000 people were unemployed during November, an increase of roughly 1,300 people compared to October. In November 2005, nearly 1,700 people were out of work, a rate of 6.7 percent.
Seasonally adjusted, the jobless rate for November was 6.4 percent. Nationally, the adjusted unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in November, compared to 4.4 percent in October and 5 percent in November 2005.
The state's rate has see-sawed all year between being slightly higher and slightly lower than year-ago rates.
A number of areas in the state continued to see low unemployment rates. The rates in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and Sitka all ran below 6 percent, and in most areas, employers reported a very tight labor market. All four communities are less susceptible to seasonal swings than almost everywhere else in the state, the labor department said.
In 11 areas of the state, the unemployment rates were in the double-digits in November, and three saw their unemployment rates climb by more than 4 percentage points between October and November, including the Denali Borough, the Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area and the Yakutat Borough. All three areas, along with many others around the state, are buffeted by the seasonal nature of the visitor, construction, timber and fishing industries.
Payroll employment fell by 9,400 in November as nearly every major employment category showed a broad seasonal downturn. The biggest losses came in seafood processing, construction and accommodations. Still, there were 5,400 more total jobs in November compared to a year ago.
Retail was one of the few categories able to hold steady. That's not surprising as many retailers add staff for the holiday season. The strongest over-year gains were in oil and gas, and health care. Possibly bigger than the increase in employment in the state's highest-paying industry, oil and gas, is the effect it's having on stronger-than-average gains in overall earnings.
Seasonal data to give state more accurate labor picture
The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development this month will begin publishing seasonally adjusted numbers for unemployment rates.
The adjusted rates will offer a better picture on whether the state is gaining or losing jobs, DOL said in its recent monthly publication of Economic Trends.
The percentage difference between the Alaska's seasonal high and low points is greater than anywhere in the nation, DOL said. Because of its seasonal economies, Alaska's job figures could be alarming if taken at face value.
For example, Alaska lost more than 20,000 jobs between August and October, and was expected to lose at least another 15,000 by January. That accounts for 10 percent of the job market.
But the state always sees big losses between August and January, and big gains between January and August. So in fact, the state gained about 2,500 jobs, when the figures are seasonally adjusted.
The DOL will use a U.S. Census Bureau-developed seasonal adjustment program, called X-12 Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average. The program essentially looks at statistical data in segments: trends, seasonal figures and irregularities.
