JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska plans next month to end its participation in a federal program that provides an extra $300 a week in unemployment aid, the state labor commissioner announced Friday.

Commissioner Tamika L. Ledbetter said the state participation will end June 12. Alaska joins at least 12 other states that have said they will stop paying the extra benefit paid for by the federal government, which was set to expire in September.

“As Alaska’s economy opens up, employers are posting a wide range of job opportunities and workers are needed,” she said in a statement. Ledbetter planned to speak with reporters about the decision later Friday.

More than $1.2 billion in federal and state funds have been distributed through Alaska’s unemployment insurance program since March 2020, according to the state labor department.

The Associated Press