Staff Report
Tri-Parish unemployment rates improved in November compared to a year ago, according to a Louisiana Workforce Commission report citing federal Bureau of Labor & Statistics.
The workforce in St. Landry and Acadia parishes remained below those of a year ago in November. Evangeline Parish’s workforce grew 0.8 percent in a November 2017 to November 2016 comparison.
The workforce includes people working and those looking for a job.
The total workforce for the three parishes was 67,715 in November 2017, down from 68,079 in November 2016 — a decline of 364 or 0.5 percent.
In October 2017, the Tri-Parish workforce was 67,367 people, down from 68,609 in October 2016.
November 2017 parish workforce totals included:
— St. Landry Parish, 31,553, down 333 or 1 percent from a year ago.
— Acadia Parish, 23,657, down 133 or 0.6 percent from a year ago.
— Evangeline Parish, 12,505, up 192 or 0.8 percent from a year ago.
Tri-Parish jobless rates were:
The St. Landry Parish jobless rate in November 2017 was 5.5 percent, unchanged from October and down from 7.4 percent in November 2016. There were 29,829 people working in November 2017.
In Acadia Parish, the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in November 2017, down from 5 percent in October and 6.6 percent in November 2016. There were 22,491 people working in November, 2017.
In Evangeline Parish, the November 2017 jobless rate was 5 percent, unchanged from October and down from 6.5 percent in November 2016. There were 11,883 people working in November, 2017.
Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November dropped to 4.2 percent.
Compared to the same time last year, Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 1.2 percent lower. April 2008 was the last time the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was lower than this.
Not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 4,900 jobs to 1,997,200 for November, 2017. From the same time last year, 14,800 jobs were added.
Not seasonally adjusted private-sector employment increased to 1,671,400 from October 2017’s figure of 1,668,200. From November 2016, 19,200 private-sector jobs have been added. Monthly data that is not seasonally adjusted does not minimize the changes in any time series which result from normal annual occurrences such as Christmas, summer vacations and weather patterns.
The not seasonally adjusted civilian labor force increased by 10,405 to 2,109,462. This figure represents the number of people who are employed, in addition to those looking for work. July 2017 was the last time the not-seasonally adjusted civilian labor force was higher.
Ava Dejoie, executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, said in a news release, “We’ve observed measurable improvement in the state’s employment outlook over the year, including declines in the unemployment rates across all metro areas compared to 2016.”
Dejoie added, “These figures reflect the persistence of Louisiana’s job seekers in pursuing gainful employment, and we hope to further restore confidence in our labor force in the coming year.”
The number of not-seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 10,989 to 2,020,389 from October 2017. This is the highest not-seasonally adjusted employment has been in 24 months.
Unemployment rates declined in all Louisiana metro areas over-the-year for the third consecutive month. Not-seasonally adjusted November 2017 unemployment rates for the nine metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are as follows:
• Alexandria: 4.6 percent, unchanged October, but down from 5.7 percent in November 2016.
• Baton Rouge: 3.7 percent, unchanged from October, but down from 4.7 percent in November 2016.
• Hammond: 4.6 percent, up from 4.5 percent in October and down from 5.9 percent in November 2016.
• Houma: 4.4 percent, unchanged from October and down from 6.1 percent in November 2016.
• Lafayette: 4.5 percent, down from 4.6 percent in October and down from 6.3 percent in November 2016.
• Lake Charles: 3.4 percent, up from 3.3 percent in October and down from 4.2 percent in November 2016.
• Monroe: 4.3 percent, down from 4.4 percent in October and down from 5.6 percent in November 2016.
• New Orleans: 4 percent, down from 4.1 percent in October and down from 4.9 percent in November 2016.
• Shreveport: 4.6 percent, down from 4.7 percent in October and down from 5.9 percent in November 2016.
To view all available employment data, visit Louisiana’s employment homepage at laworks.net and select Labor Market Information from the top-right menu.