The Tri-Parish workforce in December 2021 was down compared to December 2020, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The report also found Tri-Parish unemployment rates were down in December compared to a year ago.
December 2021 jobless rates by parish were:
— St. Landry, 4.5%, down from 7.8% in December 2020 and down from 4.8% in November.
— Evangeline, 3.6%, down from 6.5% in December 2020 and down from 3.9% in November.
— Acadia, 3.3%, down from 6.3% in December 2020 and down from 3.6% in November.
The Tri-Parish workforce count in December 2021 totaled 67,276, down 621 or 0.9% from December 2020’s count of 67,897.
The total workforce count includes people working and those looking for jobs.
Total workforce counts by parish in December 2021 were:
— St. Landry, 31,831, down 763 or 2.4% from December 2020.
— Evangeline, 12,128, up 279 or 2.4% from December 2020.
— Acadia, 23,317, down 137 or 0.6% from December 2020.
Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2021 is 3.7%, a decrease of 3.6 percentage points from the December 2020 rate of 7.3%. The rate also shows a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the November 2021 revised rate of 4.1%. The rate is tied for the third lowest of all time for the state.
The not seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate dropped over the month in all nine of Louisiana’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s) for the third consecutive month. The rates in all nine MSA’s also decreased over the year for the ninth consecutive month. Among the MSA’s, Lake Charles showed the largest unemployment rate decline from December 2020, dropping by 4.6 percentage points
Since November 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 4,934 from 1,985,011 to 1,980,077 in December 2021. When compared to December 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 48,094.
Since November 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 6,686 from 83,797 to 77,111 in December 2021. When compared to December 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 74,067.
Not seasonally adjusted December 2021 unemployment rates for Louisiana’s nine MSA’s are as follows:
— Alexandria: 2.8%, down from 3% in November and down from 5.2% in December 2020.
— Baton Rouge: 3.2%, down from 3.5% in November and down from 6.4% in December 2020.
— Hammond: 4.5%, down from 4.8% in November and down from 8.2 percent in December 2020.
— Houma: 3.6 percent, down from 4% in November and down from 6.3% in December 2020.
— Lafayette: 3.3%, down from 3.6% in November and down from 6.6% in December 2020.
— Lake Charles: 3.8%, down from 4% in November and down from 8.4% in December 2020.
— Monroe: 3.3%, down from 3.6% in November and down from 6.3% in December 2020.
— New Orleans: 4.4%, down from 4.8% in November and down from 8.7% in December 2020.
— Shreveport: 3.7%, down from 4% in November and down from 7.1 percent in December 2020.
Since November 2021, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 4,500 jobs from 1,884,500 to 1,889,000 in December 2021. When compared to December 2020, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 42,900 jobs. The December 2021 employment figure is the highest in the series since March 2020, and shows nine consecutive over-the-year gains.
Since November 2021, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 5,800 jobs from 1,569,700 to 1,575,500 in December 2021. When compared to December 2020, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 46,600 jobs.
Industries that showed the largest gains for not seasonally adjusted jobs from November 2021:
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 4,600 jobs from November 2021.
Construction gained 2,100 jobs from November 2021.
Manufacturing gained 1,400 jobs from November 2021.
Industries that showed the largest gains for not seasonally adjusted jobs from December 2020:
Leisure and Hospitality gained 15,400 jobs from December 2020.
Professional and Business Services gained 11,500 jobs from December 2020.
Education and Health Services gained 9,200 jobs from December 2020.
Seasonally Adjusted vs. Not Seasonally Adjusted Data
Jobs and employment trends data are often difficult to understand because there are two different ways to look at the data, seasonally or non-seasonally adjusted data.
Seasonal adjustment works to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment figures change from month to month. Not seasonally adjusted data retains seasonal employment trends.
Over the course of a year, the labor force size, available jobs and employment rates undergo predictable fluctuations due to seasonal changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Seasonal adjustment reduces the impact of these changes, making it easier to understand trends. Seasonally adjusted data is best utilized when comparing several months of employment and jobs data, while not seasonally adjusted data is best used to compare over-the-year trends. Seasonally adjusted data are useful for comparisons among states and the nation.