From the October 2011 Department of Labor press release: "Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was essentially unchanged, declining one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.4 percent. September’s rate was revised down slightly, to 7.5 percent.
"The comparable national rate for October was 9.0 percent, also showing little change from September. The U.S. and Alaska rates have both fallen moderately in the last year. The national rate is seven-tenths of a percentage point lower than in October 2010, and Alaska’s rate is down half a percentage point.
"Alaska’s rate has been below the nation’s for exactly three years now, an unusual relationship after decades of the state’s rate being one to two percentage points higher than the nation’s. Not-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in all but one of the state’s regions in October. This is typical as the job market continues its annual transition from summer to winter... Employment in construction and leisure and hospitality took a sharp seasonal downturn in October. Construction employment fell by more than 1,000, and leisure and hospitality lost more than 6,000 jobs. Over the year, total payroll employment was up by an estimated 2,300, with the largest share of new jobs coming from health care."
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