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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Alaska's Unemployment Rate Rises Higher Than The Nation's

In May, Alaska's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was higher than the national rate. 

According to the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development, nearly 7 percent of Alaskans were unemployed, compared to just about 5 percent of people nationwide.

The last time there was a 2-percentage point gap between the two was at the height of the recession in October of 2009.

Labor officials estimate there were fewer jobs in Alaska last month because of shrinking opportunities in the oil and gas industries and state government. 

But the unadjusted rate for the Aleutians West Census Area, including Unalaska, tells a different story. In this region, unemployment improved by more than one percentage point compared last year, coming in at 5.3 percent.

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