Louisiana gained 19,100 nonfarm jobs year-over-year in July, with sectors such as construction, education and health leading the hiring way.
The state had 1.98 million jobs through the end of July, preliminary data from the U.S. Labor Department shows, up from 1.96 million one year ago. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
Unemployment fell to 5.3%, according to a separate survey, down from 5.4% in June and 6.2% one year ago. Â
Much of the state’s employment surge is coming from the construction sector, with 13,600 job coming online during the 12-month period ending in July. The Associated General Contractors of America in a news release says 36 states and Washington D.C. added construction jobs over the period.
Job gains also were made in financial services, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and other services.
Nationally, there was little change in the unemployment rate between June and July. The jobless rates fell to 4.3% in July—a 0.6 percentage point lower than the prior month.
