Louisiana is one of 41 states that saw its unemployment rate fall this September from the same month last year, according data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Louisiana’s unemployment rate stood at 6.9% last September, but it has dropped 0.9 percentage points to 6% this September. That is still higher than the national average, which sits at 5.1%.
The state’s unemployment rate stood at 6% last month, the data shows.
Six states had an increase in the unemployment rate and two states saw no change.
The Associated Press reports total U.S. hiring faltered in August and September as manufacturers struggled with the impact of the strong dollar and weak growth overseas. At the same time, U.S. consumers have spent cautiously. Growth likely slowed sharply in the July-September quarter to an annual rate of about 1.3%, from a 3.9% pace in the second quarter. Many states with job losses also said their unemployment rates fell. That can occur if some unemployed people stop looking for work, perhaps out of discouragement or because they return to school or stay home with family.
North Dakota has the lowest jobless rate in September at 2.8%, followed by Nebraska at 2.9%. On the other end of the spectrum, West Virginia had the highest unemployment rate at 7.3%.
The Associated Press has the full story.
