Staff Report
Tri-Parish unemployment rates are up from a year ago and the workforce remains below the 2017 number in November, according to Bureau of Labor and Statistics data released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
There were 67,171 people in the workforce in November, down 1.4 percent from the November 2017 total of 68,157.
The workforce includes those people employed and those looking for jobs in the state count.
The Tri-Parish November workforce counts are:
— St. Landry Parish, 31,599, down 210 people — 0.7 percent — from November 2017.
— Acadia Parish, 23,664, down 236 people — 1 percent — from November 2017.
— Evangeline Parish, 11,908, down 540 people — 4.3 percent — from November 2017.
November unemployment rates were:
— St. Landry Parish, 5.7 percent, up from 5.4 percent in November 2017, but down from 6 percent in October.
— Acadia Parish, 5.1 percent, up from 4.9 percent in November 2017 and unchanged from October.
— Evangeline Parish, 5.3 percent, up from 5 percent in November 2017 and down from 5.4 percent in October.
The statistics released Thursday are not seasonally adjusted for factors such as weather and holidays.
The state jobless rate in November was 4.5 percent, up from 4.2 percent in November 2017 and down from October’s 4.7 percent.
In the state, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 1,547 from October 2018 to 2,012,226. The number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 4,055 to 94,454 from October 2018.
The state’s total workforce in November was 2,106,680, down 0.6 percent from November 2017’s total of 2,118,485.
From October 2018, all nine Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) saw a decline in their not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates. This is the fifth straight month unemployment rates have declined over the month for all MSAs.
Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates are below:
— Alexandria: 5 percent, down from 5.1 percent in October, but up from 4.6 percent from November 2017.
— Baton Rouge: 4 percent, down from 4.2 percent in October, but up from 3.7 percent from November 2017.
— Hammond: 4.9 percent, down from 5 percent in October, but up from 4.5 percent from November 2017.
— Houma: 4.6 percent, down from 4.7 percent in October, but up from 4.4 percent from November 2017.
— Lafayette: 4.5 percent, down from 4.7 percent in October, but up from 4.4 percent from November 2017.
— Lake Charles: 3.4 percent, down from 3.5 percent in October, but up from 3.3 percent from November 2017.
— Monroe: 5 percent, down from 5.1 percent in October, but up from 4.4 percent from November 2017.
— New Orleans: 4.2 percent, down from 4.4 percent in October, but up from 4 percent from November 2017.
— Shreveport: 4.9 percent, down from 5.1 percent in October, but up from 4.6 percent from November 2017.