The Alaska Department of Labor has released their jobs data for December, and the unemployment rate for the state remains at 7.3 percent.

But in Southwest Alaska, the number of people without jobs has gone up. While the Aleutians West Census area usually has one of the lower employment rates in the state, it shot up from 12.4 percent to nearly 20 percent. That jump can partially be explained by the seasonal slowdown in fishing. The region’s big groundfish fisheries closed up during the fall, and fishing for crab wrapped up early, leaving little product for area plants to process.

The Alaska Department of Labor also published information on poverty in the state today, using data collected by the U.S. census bureau. Economists determined that 9.5 percent of Alaskans fell below the poverty line between 2006 and 2010. In the Aleutians West Census area, the rate was 12.6 percent. The national rate is 12.4 percent.