Date:August 19, 2022
Contact:LWC Public Affairs @ (225) 342-3035
Louisiana unemployment rate continues record breaking downward trend
BATON ROUGE, La. – For the second month in a row, Louisiana set a record for its lowest unemployment rate ever as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the state’s seasonally adjusted rate is 3.6 percent. The July 2022 estimate for employed individuals is 2,027,635, the 2nd largest figure in series history.
“These historic numbers are signs that Louisiana is moving in the right direction,” said Louisian Workforce Commission Secretary, Ava Cates, “The workforce commission is dedicated to our state’s continued success by offering programs and services to all Louisianians so they can meet their career goals.”
Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points from June 2022 and shows a 1.9 percentage point decline from July 2021. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has declined over the year for 17 consecutive months, and has not seen an over-the-month increase since April 2020.
Since June 2022, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 2,995 from 79,778 to 76,783 in July 2022. This breaks the record low set in June 2006 of 77,214. When compared to July 2021, the number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 36,479.
The July 2022 estimate for employed individuals is 2,027,635, the 2nd largest figure in series history. When compared to July 2021, the number of seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 75,915.
The labor force participation rate, which measures people ages 16 to 64 working or looking for work, was 58.9 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from June. The July 2022 rate gained 1.0 percentage points from July 2021.
To help ensure the state’s workforce is ready for careers of the future LWC launched “Tech Ready Louisiana,” a program that will bring free online learning to thousands of people across the state. LWC is partnering with Coursera to offer Louisianians access to thousands of courses to help them develop new skills and increase their career readiness.
“Close to 1,000 Louisianians already signed up for Tech Ready because they recognize the opportunity to take themselves from courses to careers,” said Cates, “This partnership will help people find not just family sustaining careers, but family thriving ones.”
To register for “Tech Ready Louisiana” residents need to be 18 or older and have or create a HiRE account. Once they have an account they can register here or use the link on our homepage. To learn more about Coursera and the courses they offer, click here.
The state’s seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment for July 2022 is 1,922,200 jobs, an increase of 13,700 jobs from the revised June 2022 estimate of 1,908,500 jobs. When compared to July 2021, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment increased by 36,100 jobs. The series is at its highest employment level since March 2020 and has seen 16 consecutive months with an over-the-year gain.
Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted private sector employment for July 2022 is 1,606,300 jobs, an increase of 9,900 jobs from the June 2022 revised estimate of 1,613,600 jobs. When compared to July 2021, seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 40,100 jobs.
Major industries that showed the largest gains for seasonally adjusted jobs over the month:
• Professional and Business Services gained 6,700 jobs from June 2022.
• Government gained 3,800 jobs from June 2022.
• Education and Health Services gained 2,700 jobs from June 2022.
Major industries that showed the largest gains for seasonally adjusted jobs over the year:
• Professional and Business Services gained 15,200 jobs from July 2021.
• Leisure and Hospitality gained 7,800 jobs from July 2021.
• Manufacturing gained 6,800 jobs from July 2021.
Among Louisiana’s MSAs in July 2022, seasonally adjusted data shows:
• Alexandria (62,500 jobs) added 200 jobs from June 2022 and gained 1,700 jobs from July 2021.
• Baton Rouge (399,700 jobs) added 1,700 jobs from June 2022 and gained 10,000 jobs from July 2021.
• Hammond (46,900 jobs) showed no change from June 2022, but lost 600 jobs from July 2021.
• Houma (80,500 jobs) added 100 jobs from June 2022, but lost 2,600 jobs from July 2021.
• Lafayette (201,300 jobs) added 300 jobs from June 2022 and gained 4,400 jobs from July 2021.
• Lake Charles (101,900 jobs) added 300 jobs from June 2022 and gained 3,200 jobs from July 2021.
• Monroe (76,100 jobs) showed no change from June 2022, but gained 700 jobs from July 2021.
• New Orleans (553,300 jobs) added 3,900 jobs from June 2022 and gained 3,800 jobs from July 2021.
• Shreveport (177,200 jobs) added 1,600 jobs from June 2022 and gained 5,700 jobs from July 2021.
Not Seasonally Adjusted Data
Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July 2022 is 4.5 percent. This is the 2nd lowest not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the month of July in the history of the series. The rate shows a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the revised June 2022 not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.6 percent. The rate shows a decrease of 1.8 percentage points from the July 2021 rate of 6.3 percent.
Since June 2022, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 1,982 from 2,019,022 to 2,021,004 in July 2022. When compared to July 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals increased by 55,101.
Since June 2022, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 1,898 from 97,995 to 96,097 in July 2022. When compared to July 2021, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 35,486.
Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment for July 2022 is 1,911,400, an increase of 2,900 jobs from the June 2022 revised estimate of 1,908,500. When compared to July 2021, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 42,500 jobs. The July 2022 employment figure shows 16 consecutive over-the-year gains.
Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted total private employment for July 2022 is 1,614,700, an increase of 7,500 jobs from the June 2022 revised estimate of 1,607,200. When compared to July 2021, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 46,400 jobs. The July 2022 employment figure shows 16 consecutive over-the-year gains.
July 2022 metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and parish unemployment rates will be released on August 26, 2022.
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.
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