Louisiana shows continued improvement in getting back to work

BATON ROUGE, La. – Preliminary data for June 2021 released today by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) shows promising signs that Louisianians are getting back to work. Louisiana gained 6,700 jobs in total nonfarm employment from the May 2021 estimate of 1,832,200. The state has also gained 68,800 jobs since June 2020 for a total of 1,838,900, up from 1,770,100.

Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted total private sector employment showed strong gains both over the month and over the year. The June 2021 estimate of 1,529,000 shows an increase of 8,700 jobs from the May 2021 revised figure of 1,520,300. The series has added 67,300 jobs from the June 2020 figure of 1,461,700.

Since June 2020, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 153,610 from 1,772,157 to 1,925,767 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 2,408.

Since June 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 39,533 from 182,860 to 143,327 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 3,370.

The June 2021 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 6.9 percent shows a decline both over the month and over the year. The rate dropped 0.2 percentage points from the revised May 2021 rate of 7.1 percent, and 2.5 percentage points from the June 2020 rate of 9.4 percent.

“There are thousands of opportunities out there for people looking for work, and we know businesses are hiring,” said Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) Secretary Ava Cates. “We’ve made a lot of progress in getting Louisianians back to work, and we’re not about to slow down our efforts.”

As Louisiana’s economy continues to show signs of improvement, LWC is connecting employers and future employers with a statewide job fair on August 4 as part of the newly launched “Back to Work Louisiana” campaign. Job seekers can click here to find their nearest location. There are also over 50,000 of jobs listed on the HiRE site, which allows individuals to file for unemployment benefits and search for available jobs in their area.

Industries that showed the largest gains for seasonally adjusted jobs from June 2020:

• Leisure and Hospitality gained 27,900 jobs from June 2020.

• Professional and Business Services gained 12,800 jobs from June 2020.

• Education and Health Services gained 13,000 jobs from June 2020.

• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 9,300 jobs from June 2020.

Among Louisiana’s MSAs in June 2021, seasonally adjusted data shows:

• Alexandria (59,800 jobs) showed no change from May 2021, but gained 1,700 jobs from June 2020.

• Baton Rouge (385,900 jobs) added 100 jobs from May 2021 and gained 16,400 jobs from June 2020.

• Hammond (45,600 jobs) showed no change from May 2021, but gained 1,600 jobs from June 2020.

• Houma (82,900 jobs) added 200 jobs from May 2021 and gained 3,900 jobs from June 2020.

• Lafayette (192,100 jobs) added 1,300 jobs from May 2021 and gained 7,100 jobs from June 2020.

• Lake Charles (92,500 jobs) lost 300 jobs from May 2021 and lost 1,400 jobs from June 2020.

• Monroe (74,300 jobs) lost 100 jobs from May 2021, but gained 2,100 jobs from June 2020.

• New Orleans (524,600 jobs) added 1,200 jobs from May 2021 and gained 19,000 jobs from June 2020.

• Shreveport (170,500 jobs) added 3,600 jobs from May 2021 and gained 7,500 jobs from June 2020.

Not Seasonally Adjusted Data

Since June 2020, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 76,200 jobs from 1,770,000 to 1,846,200 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 7,500 jobs.

Since June 2020, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 73,200 jobs from 1,465,200 to 1,538,400 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 15,100 jobs.

Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2021 is 7.4 percent, a decrease of 2.9 percentage points from the June 2020 not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 10.3 percent. The rate shows an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the May 2021 rate of 6.7 percent.

Since June 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 162,778 from 1,773,461 to 1,936,239 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 3,842.

Since June 2020, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 48,142 from 203,300 to 155,158 in June 2021. When compared to May 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 15,440 individuals.

June metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and parish unemployment rates will be released on July 23, 2021. The 2021 state and MSA data release dates schedule is now available, to view 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.