The Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 4.3% in October, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a full point above the 3.3% national average for the month.
Overall, unemployment in the Baton Rouge metro area increased by nearly 600 workers in October from the same month a year ago. More than 18,100 people were unemployed in the MSA last month, up from 17,505 in October 2018.
However, the MSA’s civilian labor force posted gains, growing from 419,725 workers in October of last year to 421,440 the same month this year. Baton Rouge’s civilian labor force count in October is also up from the previous month, totaling 419,268 workers in September.
Statewide, the October unemployment rate was 4.7%, up from 4.6% in 2018. The civilian labor force shrunk by some 2,500 workers, while the number of unemployed people rose from 97,073 to 99,047 last month.
