(The Center Square) – Alaska added 6,400 jobs from June 2022 to June 2023, led by a surge in leisure and hospitality jobs, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Friday.
The job growth rate for the state is 1.9%, year-over-year.
The additional 2,200 jobs in leisure and hospitality exceeds pre-pandemic levels, the department said in a report. Summer is usually a busy season for tourism.
“The cruise industry anticipates a record 1.6 million passengers this season,” the report said. “Professional and business services added 600 jobs over the year, as did health care and retail.”
All three government sectors added to Alaska’s job count. Six-hundred federal government jobs were added, along with 200 state government positions. Local government jobs, which include public schools, increased by 500.
Two industries experienced a slight downturn. The financial services sector shed 200 jobs, while the information sector lost 100. The DOLWD blamed the job losses on layoffs due to automation.
Alaska’s unemployment rate 3.7%, higher than the national rate of 3.6%. Alaska’s May unemployment rate was 3.6%.
