Staff Report
Staff report
September unemployment rates in the Tri-Parish area fell from August and from a year ago, according to not-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor & Statistics (BLS).
The St. Landry Parish jobless rate in September was 6.8 percent, down from 7.3 percent in August and 8.4 percent in September 2016.
In Acadia Parish, the unemployment was 6.2 percent in September, down from 6.3 percent in August and 7.9 percent September 206.
In Evangeline Parish, the September jobless rate was 6.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent in August and 7.6 percent in September 2016.
The not-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Louisiana in September was 5.3 percent, which is down from 5.6 percent in August, and down from 6.4 percent in September 2016.
The Tri-Parish workforce is 2.9 percent lower in September compared to a year ago in September. The combined workforce in St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes was 67,597 in September, down 1,995 from a year ago.
The workforce includes those employed and people looking for jobs.
The St. Landry Parish workforce in September was 31,556, down 3 percent from September 2016.
The Acadia Parish workforce in September was 23,537, down 2.9 percent from September 2016.
The Evangeline Parish workforce in September was 12,504, down 3 percent from September 2016.
Ava Dejoie, executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, said in a news release, “We are pleased to see our state making progress across the board in regional unemployment rates. This, coupled with the continued decline in the unemployed, is evidence of the gradual revitalization of our workforce taking place.”
Dejoie added, “Any reduction in joblessness is a shift in the right direction, and we hope to carry this momentum into the foreseeable future.”
In the state, nonfarm employment added 7,300 jobs from August. Additionally, 13,400 jobs were added from the same time a year ago. This is the fifth consecutive month that nonfarm employment has posted gains. Private-sector employment added 18,500 jobs from last year. The private-sector has also had five straight over-the-year increases.
The not-seasonally adjusted number of employed individuals grew by 7,643. The number of unemployed individuals decreased by 7,513 to 110,356.
The not-seasonally adjusted civilian labor force, or the number of people who are employed in addition to those looking for work, increased to 2,090,429.
Not-seasonally adjusted September unemployment rates, over-the-month nonfarm job changes and over-the-year job gain totals for the nine MSAs are as follows:
— Alexandria: 5.8 percent, down from 6.2 percent in August and down from 6.6 percent in September 2016. The MSA lost 100 jobs from August and 600 jobs from September 2016.
— Baton Rouge: 4.5 percent, down from 5 percent in August and down from 5.8 percent in September 2016. The MSA gained 4,900 jobs from August and 6,200 jobs from September 2016. The Baton Rouge MSA has had nine straight over-the-year increases.
— Hammond: 5.8 percent, down from 6.3 percent in August and down from 7 percent in September 2016. The MSA gained 100 jobs from August and 100 jobs from September 2016. The Hammond MSA has had over-the-year gains for 38 consecutive months.
— Houma: 5.5 percent, down from 5.7 percent in August and down from 7 percent in September 2016. The MSA lost 900 jobs from August and 2,300 jobs from September 2016.
— Lafayette: 5.6 percent, down from 6 percent in August and down from 7.4 percent in September 2016. The MSA lost 300 jobs from August and 1,300 jobs from September 2016.
— Lake Charles: 4.2 percent, down from 4.3 percent in August and down from 4.9 percent in September 2016. The MSA gained 200 jobs from August and 4,500 jobs from September 2016. The Lake Charles MSA continues its series high for nonfarm employment, and has had over-the-year increases for 75 consecutive months.
— Monroe: 5.4 percent, down from 5.6 percent in August and down from 6.2 percent in September 2016. The MSA lost 100 jobs from August, but is up 300 jobs from September 2016. The Monroe MSA has had 10 straight over-the-year increases.
— New Orleans: 5 percent, down from 5.4 percent in August and down from 5.8 percent in September 2016. The MSA gained 1,200 jobs from August and 600 jobs from September 2016.
— Shreveport: 5.7 percent, down from 6.1 percent in August and down from 6.7 percent in September 2016. The MSA gained 400 jobs from August, but lost 1,400 jobs from September 2016.