Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center in Baton Rouge is the state’s fourth-largest employer by the number of employees.
That’s according to a new listing of the state’s 50 largest private employers, as reported by NOLA.com, which compiled the list with data provided by Greater New Orleans Inc. and Database USA.
Three-fifths of the private-sector companies on the list are in the medical industry, with Ochsner Health System being the largest among them and of all companies in the state, with 16,000 employees.
That the names of medical facilities, providers and researchers land on thousands of Louisianian’s paychecks every month lines up squarely with national trends.
The Atlantic reports that aging Americans are at least one of the reasons health care has become the biggest industry. As Baby Boomers begin their sunset years, they’re visiting the doctor more frequently, and even though other industries are becoming more mechanized, the need for human hands hasn’t dropped in health care.
The numbers reflect employment at a single location, so a business with multiple locations across the state might not appear in the list.
