Labor Department announces unemployment rate at 6.8 percent

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Department of Labor says Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 6.8 percent. The department revised the May rate down .1 percent to 6.7 percent. The national unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in June. The department says Alaska’s unemployment rate since 2013 has remained fairly stable and close to its 10-year average. Unadjusted June rates increased in 13 boroughs and census areas, stayed flat in one, and fell in 15. Areas with falling June unemployment rates tend to be less populous with economies driven by tourism, fishing or other seasonal industries.

The lowest unemployment rates were 3.7 percent in Bristol Bay and 4.3 percent in the Denali Borough. The highest rate was 25.7 percent in Kusilvak Census Area, formerly called the Wade Hampton Census Area.