Alaska loses jobs for 5th straight month (Palin left a mess behind her)

http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/200910170416

Saturday October 17, 2009
Alaska loses jobs for 5th straight month

The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska job market continues to struggle, as the state suffered its fifth straight month of job losses in September and the unemployment rate rose to 8.4 percent.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose from 8.1 percent in August and from 6.7 percent in September last year, the Alaska Department of Labor reported Friday.

Employers had approximately 335,000 jobs on their payroll in September, the Labor Department said. That's about 2,000 fewer jobs than in September 2008.

Payroll jobs are often considered the best indicator of how Alaska's economy is doing. The number has tumbled every month since May, but compared to many of the losses in the Lower 48, the 0.6 percent decline in Alaska is just a blip.

Tourism jobs have lagged due to fewer visitors to the state during the summer.

The oil industry has yet to see any big hits. Preliminary numbers for September show this industry lost about 300 jobs, or about 2 percent, in the past year.

FULL story at link.

the states that aren't losing jobs are in the minority.

And 8.4%, while high, still puts them below average for the nation.

New York state is No. 28. California is No. 47 (tied with Oregon), Rhode Island is No. 49, Nevada No. 50 and ........ Michigan No. 51. A higher number means higher unemployment. (The list includes D.C. at No. 44.

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm