N.O. Gained 4,600 Jobs in September but Way Below 2019 Numbers

10/21/2020

Site Staff,

BATON ROUGE – Preliminary data for September released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows that Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent, up from August’s revised seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 7.7 percent.

Since the height of the pandemic in April, Louisiana seasonally adjusted non-farm employment has added 129,000 jobs. Seasonally adjusted non-farm employment for September stands at 1,851,400.

Since August, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 20,076 from 1,944,803 to 1,924,727 in September. Compared to September 2019, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 68,363.

Since August, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 8,513 from 161,816 to 170,329 in September. Compared to September 2019, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 64,234.

“In addition to the ongoing pandemic, Louisiana’s job market has also been impacted by Hurricanes Laura and Delta which has slowed economic recovery in the southwest region of our state,” said Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Dejoie. “As our state continues to recover across our industry sectors, the LWC stands ready to deploy all of our resources to assist our fellow citizens’ return to family-sustaining careers.”

Industries that showed the largest gains for seasonally adjusted jobs for September:

Construction gained 5,000 jobs from August.
Professional and Business Services gained 2,400 jobs from August.
Financial Activities gained 1,900 jobs from August.

Among Louisiana’s MSAs in September, seasonally adjusted data shows:

Alexandria gained 600 jobs from August but lost 2,300 jobs from September 2019.
Baton Rouge lost 3,800 jobs from August and 26,000 jobs from September 2019.
Hammond gained 200 jobs from August but lost 2,400 jobs from September 2019.
Houma lost 100 jobs from August and 5,500 jobs from September 2019.
Lafayette gained 1,300 jobs from August but lost 10,700 jobs from September 2019.
Lake Charles lost 5,900 jobs from August and 22,400 jobs from September 2019.
Monroe gained 100 jobs from August but remained unchanged from September 2019.
New Orleans gained 4,600 jobs from August but lost 61,800 jobs from September 2019.
Shreveport gained 600 jobs from August but lost 10,200 jobs from September 2019.