Ascension Parish has added more than 8,600 residents since 2020, but local employers say that growth has not made it any easier to find qualified workers.
Recruiting remains one of the biggest challenges facing businesses across the parish, particularly in the industrial and security sectors, according to Rae Milano of Lofton Staffing.
“Recruiting across nearly every employment sector has been challenging for quite some time, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier,” Milano says.
Lofton Staffing specializes in security officers, industrial positions and office and clerical placements. Milano says many applicants are unable to meet employers’ hiring requirements, including maintaining a clean driving record, passing background checks and successfully completing pre-employment drug screenings.
Failed THC screenings have become a particular challenge for industrial employers, especially chemical plants.
“Since many of our clients maintain strict hiring standards and safety requirements, a positive drug test eliminates them from consideration,” Milano explains.
The result is a growing disconnect: Employers have jobs to fill, but the pool of candidates who meet their requirements remains limited.
“Many employers tell me that recruiting dependable, qualified candidates has become one of their biggest challenges,” Milano says. “While it’s common to hear people say, ‘No one wants to work,’ I believe the issue is more complex.”
Milano attributes the problem to a mismatch between available workers and the qualifications employers require.
“The demand for workers remains strong, but the pool of candidates who meet employers’ hiring standards has become increasingly limited,” she says. “As a result, businesses are experiencing longer hiring timelines, increased competition for qualified talent and ongoing staffing shortages.”
That challenge persists even as Ascension Parish’s population continues to rise. According to the United States Census Bureau, the parish grew from 126,499 residents in 2020 to an estimated 135,105 in 2025.
The influx has fueled residential development, business opportunities and economic activity throughout the parish. But it has not necessarily expanded the qualified workforce available to local employers.
“In my experience, businesses are still facing many of the same hiring challenges they did before the population increase,” Milano says. “Employers continue to struggle to find dependable, qualified candidates who meet their hiring requirements, so the growth in population has not necessarily made recruiting any easier.”
As Ascension Parish continues to attract residents and businesses, expanding the pool of qualified job candidates will be critical to ensuring that its population and economic growth translate into a stronger local workforce.
