Trade-off: New employment and wage data compiled by the Louisiana Workforce Commission shows employment decreased by 0.8% in 2010, while the average wage increased 1.3% compared to 2009. The Louisiana Workforce Commission has posted the state’s 2010 data for employment and total wages by North American Industry Classification System at its website here. Parish data is also available by NAICS sectors. The information comes from quarterly tax reports provided by employers who are required to do so in accordance with the Louisiana Employment Security Law. Additional information comes from supplemental reports that provide parish data submitted by employers with multiple locations. According to the report, average employment increased in 23 of the 64 parishes in 2010. The highest average weekly wage for all industries was reported in Plaquemines Parish at $1,097, while the average weekly wage for all industries was $797.
A promising start: Total state revenue collected by the Louisiana Department of Revenue in the first four months of the fiscal year rose $96 million, a 4% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Treasury Department. The October 2011 report shows revenue for July 1 through Oct. 31 was $2.36 billion. Total revenue last year was $2.26 billion. Click here to see the full report.
Love for the 99%: “Washington is owned by the special interests and big corporations. These people have called them on it. Enough already,” Republican presidential candidate and former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer says in a clip from his latest campaign video, taken from an interview he recently gave while visiting with Occupy Wall Street protesters. “This country is great, but it’s in trouble. Why is that? The power of big money and its corrupting influence on politics.” Though he’s yet to be included in any of the nationally televised debates with other GOP candidates, Roemer has gained some attention for being the only candidate to publicly support the Occupy Wall Street movement. See the new video here.
