Nonfarm employment up 129,000 jobs since April 2020

BATON ROUGE – Preliminary data for September 2020 released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) shows that Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent; up from August 2020’s revised seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 7.7 percent.

Since the height of the pandemic in April 2020, Louisiana seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment has added 129,000 jobs. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment for Sept. 2020 stands at 1,851,400.

Since August 2020, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 20,076 from 1,944,803 to 1,924,727 in September 2020. Compared to September 2019, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 68,363.

Since August 2020, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 8,513 from 161,816 to 170,329 in September 2020. 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 2020:

• Construction gained 5,000 jobs from August 2020.

• Professional and Business Services gained 2,400 jobs from August 2020.

• Financial Activities gained 1,900 jobs from August 2020.

Among Louisiana’s MSAs in September 2020, seasonally adjusted data shows:

• Alexandria gained 600 jobs from August 2020, but lost 2,300 jobs from September 2019.

• Baton Rouge lost 3,800 jobs from August 2020 and 26,000 jobs from September 2019.

• Hammond gained 200 jobs from August 2020, but lost 2,400 jobs from September 2019.

• Houma lost 100 jobs from August 2020 and 5,500 jobs from September 2019.

• Lafayette gained 1,300 jobs from August 2020, but lost 10,700 jobs from September 2019.

• Lake Charles lost 5,900 jobs from August 2020 and 22,400 jobs from September 2019.

• Monroe gained 100 jobs from August 2020, but remained unchanged from September 2019.

• New Orleans gained 4,600 jobs from August 2020, but lost 61,800 jobs from September 2019.

• Shreveport gained 600 jobs from August 2020, but lost 10,200 jobs from September 2019.

Since August 2020, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased by 1,600 jobs from 1,853,000 to 1,851,400 in September 2020. From September 2019, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased by 135,700 jobs.

Since August 2020, seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 2,900 jobs from 1,521,400 to 1,524,300 in September 2020. From September 2019, seasonally adjusted private sector employment decreased by 130,300 jobs.

Not Seasonally Adjusted Data

Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2020 increased to 8.2 percent; an increase of 0.2 percentage points from August 2020’s revised not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8.0 percent.

Since the height of the pandemic in April 2020, Louisiana not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment has added 120,500 jobs. Not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment for Sept. 2020 stands at 1,849,400.

Since August 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 16,256 from 1,936,826 to 1,920,570 in September 2020. When compared to September 2019, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 71,813.

Since August 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 1,490 from 169,537 to 171,027 in September 2020. When compared to September 2019, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 66,685.

Since August 2020, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 6,900 jobs from 1,842,500 to 1,849,400 in September 2020. When compared to September 2019, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased by 131,700 jobs.

Since August 2020, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 600 jobs from 1,521,000 to 1,521,600 in September 2020. When compared to September 2019, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment decreased by 126,600 jobs.

September metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and parish unemployment rates will be released on October 28, 2020. For additional state and MSA data release dates, please click here.

Seasonally Adjusted vs. Not Seasonally Adjusted Data

Jobs and employment trends data are often difficult to understand because there are two different ways to look at the data, seasonally or non-seasonally adjusted data.

Seasonal adjustment works to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment figures change from month to month. Not seasonally adjusted data retains seasonal employment trends.

Over the course of a year, the labor force size, available jobs and employment rates undergo predictable fluctuations due to seasonal changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Seasonal adjustment reduces the impact of these changes, making it easier to understand trends. Seasonally adjusted data is best utilized when comparing several months of employment and jobs data, while not seasonally adjusted data is best used to compare over-the-year trends. Seasonally adjusted data are useful for comparisons among states and the nation.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission primarily uses seasonally adjusted data because it provides a more useful and telling picture of Louisiana’s jobs and employment situation.

To view all available employment data, visit Louisiana’s employment homepage at http://www.laworks.net and select Labor Market Information from the top-right menu. Then, select LOIS (Louisiana Occupational Information System) and select Employment and Wage Data listed under Data Trends. To view the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics for the state, visit http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=la. For BLS nonfarm employment data, click here: http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=sm.

Data Considerations

All data published from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is preliminary and is subject to revision on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Revised numbers for previous months are available from the BLS databases located on bls.gov. The revised numbers are available upon release of new data.

Resources for Employers and Job Seekers

Job-seekers can explore careers, apply for top-rated jobs and connect with local training providers using Louisiana Star Jobs, the LWC’s free career tool, at http://www.laworks.net/Stars/. Employers looking for workers should visit Louisiana’s employment homepage at http://www.laworks.net. Click on HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) and create an account allowing access to qualified job seekers.

About the Louisiana Workforce Commission

The Louisiana Workforce Commission is an agency of state government that administers programs designed to enhance workforce growth and provide family-sustaining jobs for Louisiana residents. The commission monitors employment, administers unemployment compensation and tax funds, provides training resources for employers and employees and oversees worker compensation benefits. The agency also gathers and supplies information on the labor market and occupational sectors in Louisiana.