Acadiana Business

Report: La. could have more than 2M jobs in 2015

by Walter Pierce

A new report says unprecedented growth in the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge areas is likely to boost employment in Louisiana to more than 2 million jobs sometime in 2015, in spite of what it describes as plodding national growth.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A new report says unprecedented growth in the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge areas is likely to boost employment in Louisiana to more than 2 million jobs sometime in 2015, in spite of what it describes as plodding national growth.

Economists Loren Scott and James Richardson say that would be the most jobs ever for the state.

However, they say most of Louisiana's growth will be along and south of Interstate 10 in the state's southern tier of parishes.

They also note three big questions: The amount of money Louisiana will get from BP PLC oil spill payments; whether Congress changes proposed huge increases in flood insurance premiums and possible restraints on spending, especially in the federal defense budget.