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Alaska's 8.8% unemployment rate is highest since 1992

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The Associated Press

JUNEAU -- Alaska's unemployment rate hit 8.8 percent last month, its highest level since September 1992. The rate was 6.8 percent in December 2008.

The state Labor Department cites several factors for the increase over the year, including job losses in the oil, construction, hospitality and leisure industries. It also attributes the rise in part to the growth in job seekers from other states coming to Alaska to find work.

The department says the state stayed below the national unemployment rate for 12 months, something it says hasn't happened since the early '80s, when the U.S. was going through a recession and Alaska was enjoying a boom.

The national unemployment rate in December was 10 percent.