Alaska's Gulf Coast region was down about 2,300 jobs in December compared to the year before, according to February data from the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Those numbers are relatively in line with the rest of the state, though each region has experienced the pandemic differently, said Karinne Wiebold, an economist with the state’s Department of Labor.
“Southeast got hit a little harder because they’re dependent on cruise ship travelers in the summer, and the northern region, with their dependence on oil and gas employment, got hit hard," she said. "The Gulf Coast is kind of interesting because you have both of those things going on.”
While the Gulf Coast region saw an 8.3 percent decrease in jobs from December 2019 to December 2020, the northern part of Alaska saw a 17.4 percent decrease. In Southeast, there were 8.4 percent fewer jobs. Statewide, there was a 7.7 percent loss in jobs.
According to department data, the state’s unemployment rate has bounced back. But Wiebold said that’s kind of a fluke. That data is based on a population survey and she says the results have been volatile in the last year.
“The unemployment rate has been moving around a bit and often out of sync with what we’re seeing with job losses and with unemployment insurance claims," Wiebold said.
Until they get better data, those unemployment numbers aren’t very reliable.
Moving forward, she says she’s going to be paying attention to a few factors.
“What might the tourism year look like, when are people going to be vaccinated, when are schools going to be in session," she said. "Another one that I didn’t touch on yet that we’re definitely paying attention to is oil prices.”
You can read more analysis from the department in itsFebruary 2021 report.
