For only the second time ever, the number of non-farm jobs in Louisiana surpasses the two million mark.
The state eclipsed the milestone in the second quarter this year.
Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, says this is tremendous news and a testament to the growth of the economy.
“The state hasn’t been above 2 million jobs since 2014 heading into 2015,” says Knapp. “There was about a four-month period where it jumped above 2 million, and it’s been below that since then.”
Knapp says while the job growth can be attributed to efforts to grow diverse, resilient industries, two of them are leading the way.
“Health care and manufacturing continue to be very strong performers for the state overall,” Knapp says. “In fact, manufacturing is one of the top 20 for growth across the U.S.”
Health care added almost 6,000 jobs over the past year, and higher education and retail also saw significant job growth.
Knapp says every region of the state is experiencing job growth.
“All 10 metros in Louisiana have shown job gains,” says Knapp. “That’s a really good sign. That’s not always the case; in fact, it’s rarely the case."
“The Northshore has really just been killing it,” Knapp continued. “They are up substantially in the metro area in Slidell and Hammond; they are really leading the state.”
In all, Louisiana has posted 51 consecutive months of year-over-year job gains.