Federal labor data released Friday shows Louisiana has again posted a new record low rate of unemployment.
Louisiana Workforce Commission Supervisor for Employment Statistics Mark Jones says the numbers are tremendous news.
"Our seasonally adjusted rate for the month of October is 3.3 percent," said Jones. "That’s the lowest in our series history and also the fifth consecutive month the state has seen a record in the unemployment rate."
The number of employed persons increased by more than 7,000 during October. Jones says those jobs were mostly in education, health services, hospitality and manufacturing.
"People are going back to work. We’ve recovered very strongly from COVID,." Jones said. "Nationally too…this is now the third consecutive month that we’ve been below the national…the United States rate, so we’re very proud about that."
Jones says there was increased hiring in Lafayette, Alexandria and Lake Charles between October of last year and this past September. Two other Louisiana cities saw much larger growth.
"Over the month, New Orleans had a large gain from September; adding over 2,000 jobs. And it actually added 25,000 jobs over the year. The baton Rouge saw close to 3,000 jobs gained over the year," Jones detailed.
Jones says there are over 14,000 jobs posted on the LWC’s HIRE website. He says the job force is recovering from the pandemic, and employers are ready to hire capable workers.
