Alaska unemployment rate inches up to 6.9 percent last month

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s unemployment rate inched up to 6.9 percent in September, hitting its highest level since the summer of 2014.

The state labor department says last month’s preliminary seasonally adjusted rate was up from 6.8 percent in August and 6.5 percent in September 2015.

The national unemployment rate stood at 5 percent last month.

Alaska’s rate has slowly grown throughout the year after starting 2016 with 6.6 percent unemployment.

The last time Alaska’s unemployment rate was 6.9 percent was in August 2014.