Tri-Parish unemployment rates in May were down from a year ago and the workforce of 68,125 was down 297 from a year ago, according to not seasonally adjusted numbers from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The state’s unemployment rate in May was 4.1 percent, down 0.7 percent from May 2018. The Louisiana Workforce Commission stated the May unemployment rate is the lowest not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in series history.
The state’s not seasonally adjusted civilian labor force, or the number of people who are employed in addition to those looking for work, increased by 5,588 from April to 2,094,045 in May.
The Tri-Parish May workforce counts are:
— St. Landry Parish, 31,825, down 296— 0.9 percent — from May 2018.
— Acadia Parish, 24,123, up 40 — 0.2 percent — from May 2018.
— Evangeline Parish, 12,177, down 41 — 0.3 percent — from May 2018.
May unemployment rates were:
— St. Landry Parish, 5.3 percent, down from 6 percent in May 2018 and up from 3.9 percent in April.
— Acadia Parish, 4.6 percent, down from 5.2 percent in May 2018 and down from 4.2 percent in April.
— Evangeline Parish, 5 percent, down from 5.5 percent May 2018 and up from 4.2 percent in April.
The statistics were released Friday.
The report stated May was third straight month that all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) have declined over the year. Not seasonally adjusted May unemployment rates for the nine MSAs are as follows:
— Alexandria: 4.4 percent, up from 3.7 percent in April, but down from 5.2 percent from May 2018.
— Baton Rouge: 3.7 percent, up from 3.1 percent in April, but down from 4.2 percent from May 2018.
— Hammond: 4.6 percent, up from 3.9 percent in April, but down from 5.2 percent from May 2018.
— Houma: 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent in April, but down from 4.8 percent from May 2018.
— Lafayette: 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent in April, but down from 4.9 percent from May 2018.
— Lake Charles: 3.3 percent, up from 2.8 percent in April, but down from 3.8 percent from May 2018.
— Monroe: 4.6 percent, up from 4 percent in April, but down from 5.1 percent from May 2018.
— New Orleans: 3.8 percent, up from 3.2 percent in April, but down from 4.5 percent from May 2018.
— Shreveport: 4.4 percent, up from 3.8 percent in April, but down from 5.1 percent from May 2018.
