The Eunice News Staff Report
June unemployment rates in the Tri-Parish area improved from a year ago, but the workforce has yet to catch up to the 2016 numbers, according to Bureau of Labor and Statistics data released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The combined workforce for St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parish was 69,690 in June, down 2.9 percent from June 2016’s 71,789.
The workforce is the combination of those working and those seeking jobs.
The statistics released Friday are not adjusted for seasonal factors such as weather and holidays.
The state’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased 0.4 percentage points to 5.9 percent from May. The 0.4 percentage increase is the lowest increase for the month of June. This figure is down 1 percentage point from the June 2016 rate of 6.9 percent.
Tri-Parish unemployment rates in June were:
— St. Landry: 7.9 percent, down from 9.3 percent in June 2016, but up from May’s 7.2 percent.
— Acadia: 6.6 percent, down from 8.4 percent in June 2016, but up for 6.4 percent in May.
– Evangeline: 6.9 percent, down from 8.7 percent in June 2016, but up from 6.3 percent in May.
The St. Landry Parish total workforce in June was 32,654, which was 3 percent lower than the June 2016 workforce of 33,692.
The June workforce in Acadia Parish was 24,371, down 2.6 percent from 25,030 in June 2016.
In Evangeline Parish, the June workforce was 12,665, down 3 percent from 13,967 in June 2016.
The state’s not-seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs increased by 21,600 from June 2016, bringing the new total to 1,990,600. This figure represents the largest over-the-year increase since February 2015. About 2,200 nonfarm jobs were added from the May figure of 1,988,400, making the first over-the-month gain for June since 2007.
The total number of not-seasonally adjusted private-sector jobs increased by 24,800 to 1,668,900 since June 2016, which is also the largest over-the-year increase since February of 2015. From May, 7,100 jobs were added within the private sector, which is the largest over-the-month increase for June since 2007.
The not-seasonally adjusted civilian labor force, or the number of people who are employed, in addition to those looking for work, increased by 19,156 from May to 2,123,048.
All nine Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) showed a decrease from their June 2016 unemployment rate. Notseasonally adjusted June unemployment rates, over-the-month job gains and over-the-year nonfarm job change totals for the nine MSAs are as follows:
— Alexandria: 6.5 percent, up from 6.2 percent in May, but down from 7.1 percent from June 2016. The MSA gained 300 jobs since May, but is down 500 from June 2016.
— Baton Rouge: 5.2 percent, up from 4.7 percent in May, but down from 6 percent from June 2016. The MSA lost 800 jobs since May, but is up 4,500 from June 2016. The Baton Rouge MSA has had six straight over-the-year increases.
— Hammond: 6.8 percent, up from 6.1 percent in May, but down from 7.8 percent from June 2016. The MSA lost 100 jobs since May, but is up 900 from June 2016. The Hammond MSA has had over-the-year gains for 35 consecutive months.
— Houma: 6 percent, unchanged from May, but down from 7.5 percent from June 2016. The MSA gained 300 jobs since May, but is down 2,800 from June 2016.
— Lafayette: 6.3 percent, up from 6.1 percent in May, but down from 8.1 percent from June 2016. The MSA lost 900 jobs since May and 1,100 from June 2016.
— Lake Charles: 4.5 percent, up from 4.3 percent in May, but down from 5.4 percent from June 2016. The MSA gained 1,400 jobs since May and 5,600 from June 2016. The Lake Charles MSA continues its series high for nonfarm employment, and has had over-the-year increases for 72 consecutive months.
— Monroe: 5.8 percent, up from 5.7 percent in May, but down from 6.9 percent from June 2016. The MSA gained 400 jobs since May and 1,200 from June 2016. The Monroe MSA has had seven straight over-the-year increases.
— New Orleans: 5.5 percent, up from 5 percent in May, but down from 6.3 percent from June 2016. The MSA lost 700 jobs since May, but is up 4,100 from June 2016.
— Shreveport: 6.3 percent, up from 6.0 percent in May, but down from 7.3 percent from June 2016. The MSA gained 300 jobs since May 2017, but is down 1,900 from June 2016.