Sales tax data made available this month suggest a slight dip in local consumer spending.
The news comes at a time when the region's economy appears to be fragile. Earlier this fall, Southeast Conference released its annual By the Numbers economic report, which found 2016 to have been the first time since 2007 that jobs and earnings were both down from the previous year. The labor force had declined by 434 net jobs, bringing the total number of positions to 45,260 regionally.
The dip accompanies declines in state spending on municipalities over the past five years, as attempts to trim Alaska's...
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