Alaska unemployment declines to end 2012
Alaska's unemployment rate declines slightly, falls to lowest level since October 2008
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Alaska's unemployment rate dropped slightly to a preliminary 6.6 percent, the lowest level since October 2008.
The state labor department says October 2008 also was the last time the national unemployment rate was lower than Alaska.
The national unemployment rate last month was 7.8 percent.
Alaska's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.7 percent in November. It was 7.4 percent in December 2011.
Alaska began 2012 with a 7.2 percent unemployment rate that peaked at 7.7 percent in August before steadily declining the rest of the year.
