Baton Rouge continues to add jobs

Louisiana may be losing jobs as a result of the national recession, but the number of non-farm jobs in metro Baton Rouge increased slightly in July, according to preliminary numbers from the state Workforce Commission. There were 700 more jobs in July, with 372,200 positions open, compared with the 371,500 in July 2008. Statewide, Louisiana was down 9,500 jobs, from 1.92 million in July 2008, to 1.91 million in July. Curt Eysink, executive director of the state Workforce Commission, noted the areas that saw job losses were sectors such as manufacturing and financial activities, which has been hit hard by the recession. There were good signs: construction jobs continue to increase in Baton Rouge. The metro area unemployment rate was 7.3% in July, compared with 4.7% in July 2008. That’s better than the statewide average of 7.8% and the national average of 9.7%. In July 2008, national unemployment was at 6% and the statewide unemployment rate was 4.8%.