Acadiana Business

Jobless rate stays stable

by Heather Miller

According to August unemployment figures, Louisiana experienced positive, but minor gains. More jobs and fewer unemployed. That's the results of the most recent labor data released Tuesday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Louisiana's unadjusted unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent for August - 0.3 percentage points lower than August last year. The state's jobless rate also experienced a positive, though minor, shift from July to August, decreasing 0.6 percent points.

Yet, the number of Louisianans with jobs (1.9 million) dropped by almost 14,000 between July and August. That dip, however, is still an increase in the number of employed residents when compared to August of last year.

In the metropolitan statistical area of Lafayette, which includes St. Martin Parish, the unemployment rate decreased 0.5 percentage points from July's rate to a 5 percent rate of unemployment in August. The latest figures show that all eight metro areas in Louisiana experienced a decrease in the number of jobless residents.

"It's encouraging that the improvements in employment are spread across the state," Louisiana Workforce Commission Director Curt Eysink says in a press release announcing the latest figures.

In August, there were 141,605 employed and 7,397 unemployed workers in the Lafayette metropolitan area. Compared to the same month last year, the numbers represent a 0.9 percent decrease in the area's unemployment rate.

Click here for a full-breakdown of the Workforce Commission's August labor market breakdown.