Alaska unemployment numbers improve, still historically high

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s unemployment numbers improved in August but still remains historically high amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s labor agency reported.

In August, the state reported 37,000 fewer jobs than in the same month in 2019 for a 10.5% drop, said the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

That’s an improvement on numbers from July, when the state had 39,900 fewer jobs than it did in the same month last year — a roughly 11.2% decrease.

Still, more than 43,000 people are collecting unemployment benefits in the state as of the last week of August, a n...