Harlan Kirgan
Unemployment rates in the Tri-Parish area posted improvement in the Bureau of Labor and Statistics report released Friday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The August jobless rates in St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes were lower than those reported in August 2016.
The numbers are not seasonally adjusted for factors such as weather and holidays.
St. Landry Parish’s jobless rate in August was 7.3 percent, down from 7.4 percent in July and 8.7 percent in August 2016.
Acadia Parish’s jobless rate in August was 6.3 percent, slightly up from 6.2 percent in July, but down from 7.8 percent in August 2016.
Evangeline Parish’s unemployment rate in August was 6.6 percent, down from 6.7 percent in July and 8.2 percent in August 2016.
The workforce — the employed and people hunting for a job — is 3.3 percent lower than a year ago. There were 67,766 people in the workforce in August, down from the August 2016 workforce of 70,107.
St. Landry Parish’s August workforce of 31,823 is down from 32,938 in August 2016.
Acadia Parish’s workforce in August was 23,758, down from 24,473 in August 2016.
Evangeline Parish’s August workforce was 12,185, down from 12,696 in August 2016.
The commission reported the state’s job market has expanded for the fourth consecutive month with over-the-year gains in nonfarm jobs and private-sector employment. Nonfarm jobs saw the addition of 24,800 over-the-year not-seasonally adjusted gains while private-sector employment added 27,300 jobs. Approximately 1,200 nonfarm jobs were added from July.
From July, the not-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.6 percent. This figure is down 0.9 percentage points from August 2016.
Ava Dejoie, Louisiana Workforce Commission executive director, said in a news release, “Our state’s job market has undoubtedly made progress in the last 12 months, with the addition of jobs to the local economy and marked declines in regional unemployment rates.”
Dejoie added, “While there is always room for improvement, we must acknowledge each incremental step taken towards building a stronger economic future for Louisiana.”
Other job news released Friday includes the following.
All nine not-seasonally adjusted metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) showed a decrease in their unemployment rates from August 2016. August unemployment rates, over-the-year nonfarm job changes and over-the-month job gain totals for the nine MSAs are as follows:
— Alexandria: 6.3 percent, down from 6.8 percent from August 2016, but up from 6.2 percent in July. The MSA lost 700 jobs from August 2016 and 300 from July.
— Baton Rouge: 5 percent, down from 5.7 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA gained 8,000 jobs from August 2016 and 1,600 jobs from July. The Baton Rouge MSA has had eight straight over-the-year increases.
— Hammond: 6.3 percent, down from 7.1 percent from August 2016 and down from 6.5 percent in July. The MSA gained 700 jobs from August 2016 and 600 from July. The Hammond MSA has had over-the-year gains for 37 consecutive months.
— Houma: 5.7 percent, down from 7.1 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA lost 1,200 jobs from August 2016 and 300 from July.
— Lafayette: 6 percent, down from 7.5 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA lost 200 jobs from August 2016, but is up 500 from July.
• Lake Charles: 4.3 percent, down from 5.1 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA gained 6,300 jobs from August 2016 and 600 from July. The Lake Charles MSA continues its series high for nonfarm employment, and has had over-the-year increases for 74 consecutive months. Additionally, the Lake Charles MSA had the nation’s largest over-the-year percentage increase of employment at 5.8 percent.
— Monroe: 5.6 percent, down from 6.5 percent from August 2016, but up from 5.5 percent in July. The MSA gained 1,100 jobs from August 2016, but is down 200 from July. The Monroe MSA has had nine straight over-the-year increases.
— New Orleans: 5.4 percent, down from 6 percent from August 2016, but up from 5.3 percent in July. The MSA gained 1,600 jobs from August 2016 and 1,200 from July.
— Shreveport: 6.1 percent, down from 6.9 percent from August 2016, but up from 6 percent in July. The MSA lost 2,000 jobs from August 2016 and 700 from July.
The number of not-seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased about 20,755 from August 2016 to 117,990. This figure is down 602 from July. Not-seasonally adjusted employed individuals saw a 20,013 decline from July to 1,973,236.
The not-seasonally adjusted civilian labor force, or the number of people who are employed in addition to those looking for work, decreased by 20,615 from July to 2,091,226.