Alaska unemployment rate remains at 7.3 percent in March

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Alaska’s unemployment rate remained at 7.3 percent for the third straight month in March.

Federal labor statistics show that’s the highest the unemployment rate has been in the state since early 2012.

The preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate of 7.3 percent in March was up slightly from a year earlier, when it stood at 7.1 percent.

The state labor department says total employment in Alaska was down about 2,600 jobs last month from March 2017.

Nationally, unemployment stood at 4.1 percent last month.