Louisiana’s economy keeps creating jobs, but it can’t keep up with the state’s growing workforce.
The Associated Press reports the state’s unemployment rate rose in December for the eighth straight month, to 6.7% from 6.5%in November. Louisiana now ties for the sixth-highest jobless rate among the states.
But at the same time, the state hit new all-time highs for jobs, as measured two different ways. People saying they had a job rose by 9,000 to nearly 2.05 million. A separate survey shows employer payrolls rose by 7,000 to 1.99 million. The jobless rate rose, though, because the number of job seekers grew faster than the number of jobs.
The report counted 146,000 unemployed Louisianans in December, up from 142,000 in November and 135,000 in December 2013. Both sets of figures—adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes—were released today by the U.S. Labor Department.
“This growth, sustained over many months, represents thousands more opportunities for people in Louisiana,” Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says in a news release. “We’re adding jobs at a strong pace, and our labor force is growing to match that increasing demand.”
Unemployment rates fell in 42 states in December, rose in four and were flat in four. North Dakota retained the nation’s lowest jobless rate at 2.8%. The national unemployment rate slid to 5.6% in December from 5.8% in November. It’s down from 6.7% in December 2013.
Louisiana payrolls rose by 7,000 in December to 1.99 million. That’s an all-time high and nearly 30,000 above the level of December 2013. Louisiana payrolls have risen 6.3% since bottoming out in early 2010 and are 2.7% above pre-recession levels.
