Alaska gained 300 jobs in the year to September as private hiring outpaced government cuts

Alaska had 300 more jobs in September than a year earlier, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported Oct. 16. Private employers added 2,200 positions while government shed 1,900.

In August, the state counted 900 fewer jobs than a year before. In September, federal employment was down 1,300 jobs from a year earlier, state government 400 and local government, including public schools, 200. Transportation, warehousing and utilities added the most jobs, 900, followed by construction with 600 and oil and gas with 400.

The department put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 4.3 percent. The U.S. rate was 4.2 percent.

Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly state data put Alaska's rate at 3.9 percent, up from 3.5 percent in August. The number of unemployed Alaskans rose to 14,257 from 12,698, after falling in August. Employment fell from 354,683 to 349,013, and the labor force shrank from 367,381 to 363,270.

In an Aug. 5 speech to an Anchorage Economic Development Corporation luncheon, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook called Alaska's labor market stable but said the state faces a shrinking labor force and an aging population. Alaskans ages 18 to 64 declined slightly in 2025, while those 65 and older rose 3.2 percent, she said.

"In Alaska, house prices have increased fivefold since 1990, more than double the rise in the overall price index for all goods and services," Cook said.