Nonfarm Job Growth Continues in La.

Seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in Louisiana grew by 42,300 workers between December 2006 and December 2007, bringing the total number of jobs in the state to 1,929,100, the Louisiana Department of Labor announced.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate for December 2007 was 4.2 percent, up from 3.5 percent for the prior month but identical to the December 2006 revised rate. The December 2007 unemployment rate for the United States was 5.0 percent, up from the November rate of 4.7 percent.

Louisiana’s civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – for December 2007 was 2,028,258, up from 2,008,622 in November 2007. The number of employed in December was 1,943,181, an increase from 1,937,612 in November. The number of unemployed in Louisiana for December 2007 increased to 85,077 from 71,010 in November 2007.

The December 2007 unadjusted unemployment rate for Louisiana was 3.8 percent, up from the preliminary November 2007 rate of 3.2 percent. The unemployment rates for Louisiana’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) were: Alexandria, 3.5 percent, up from 3.0 percent in November 2007; Baton Rouge, 3.5 percent, up from the November rate of 2.9; Houma, 2.5, up from 2.2; Lafayette, 2.6, up from 2.3; Lake Charles, 3.7, up from 3.0; Monroe, 4.2, up from 3.5 in November; New Orleans, 3.8, up from 3.4; and Shreveport-Bossier City, 4.1, up from November’s rate of 3.5. Lafayette, Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes had the lowest unemployment rate of 2.5 percent in December 2007 while East Carroll Parish had the highest rate of 9.8 percent.

Source: Louisiana Department of Labor, www.LAWORKS.net