Numbers released Friday show that Alaska's unemployment rate is up to 8.4%, up from 6.7% last year. As winter approaches, two major parts of the economy, tourism and construction, decrease.
Due to the economic struggles throughout the nation, many people in America may view Alaska as a steady place to be because of the manufacturing and industry. However, Brad Gillespie, a regional director for jobs centers in Anchorage, urges people not to move to Alaska unless they already have a job in place.
A state economist said that Alaska is often isolated from national economic trends because the economy is so different: manufacturing, sea food processing, the energy sector, and federal spending on military.
Alaskan Governor Parnell (R) said that stimulus money has helped, but he hopes that Washington will make some efforts towards long term improvement like tax cuts aimed at job creation.
For now, Parnell is hoping to boost the state economy with a new tourism campaign.
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Poor Alaska, it seems the recesion is catching up to them. I could definately see how the winter will be much harder on their economy though because they will not get as much tourism as they do in the summer months. I think Alska is now facing a similar problem as many states in the United States, the number of jobs are decreasing and economies are suffering. Hopefully someone will come up with a solution very soon!
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