Alaska employment by region: Alaska Trends, an outline of significant statewide statistics, is provided by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

• Author: Cox, William
• Position: Alaska Trends

While Alaska tends to fair better than much of the Lower 48, it is important to remember the state is still susceptible to the gyrations of the economy. The intensity of these economic changes is often curbed by the time they reach Alaska due to our geographic location. The effects of the economic downturn can be seen when looking at Alaska's employment statistics during the past 24 months, due to the state's dependence on resources and our government spending.

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Despite Alaska's relative prosperity--demonstrated by its August 2010 unemployment rate, which measured 7.1 percent versus 9.5 percent for the United States--the past two years' employment data show the state, as well as each of the regions tracked by Alaska Business Monthly (except the Anchorage and Mat-Su region) have each lost jobs (Fairbanks, Southeast and the Gulf Coast). The Anchorage and Mat-Su region, which had a slight increase of approximately...