October’s statewide job count was up by 7,000, or just over 2% from October 2023. 

North Slope oil and gas and federally funded infrastructure projects contributed to about 1,800 jobs, while professional and business services came in with 800 jobs and governments brought in another 800. Health care, which is primarily another taxpayer-funded sector in Alaska, added 1,700 jobs since last year.

The losses were in seafood processing, which lost 600, information, down 100 and retail also down 100.

Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.6% in October, while the U.S. overall rate was 4.1%.

East Aleutians Borough had the lowest unemployment at 2.6%, followed by Sitka at 3.2% and Anchorage had the second-lowest at 3.9%.

Highest unemployment was found in Kusilvak Census Area, formerly known as the Wade Hampton Census Area, at 14%. It’s in the far northwest region of the Arctic, and is where 23.7% of the population is on government assistance of some sort.