Staff Report
The Tri-Parish workforce numbering 68,238 is essentially unchanged from a year ago, according to statistics released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The September employment numbers show the Tri-Parish workforce grew by 141 over September 2019.
Unemployment rates remain above those of a year ago.
Evangeline Parish workforce was 11,799 in September, down 1.4% or 166 from September 2019.
St. Landry Parish’s workforce in September was 32,365, up 0.9% over the September 2019 workforce of 32,079.
Acadia Parish’s September workforce numbered 24,074, up 21 from a year ago.
The employment numbers are not adjusted for seasonal factors. The workforce includes people working and those looking for a job.
The state’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September increased to 8.2%; an increase of 0.2 percentage points from August’s revised not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8%.
Tri-Parish unemployment rates in September were:
Evangeline Parish, 7.9%, up from 6% in September 2019 and down from 8.1% in August.
St. Landry Parish, 8.9%, up from 6.4% in September 2019 and up from 8.8% in August.
Acadia Parish, 7.1%, up from 5.6% in September 2019, and unchanged from August.
Since the height of the pandemic in April, Louisiana not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment has added 120,500 jobs. Not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment for September stands at 1,849,400.
Since August, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 16,256 from 1,936,826 to 1,920,570 in September. When compared to September 2019, the number of not seasonally adjusted employed individuals decreased by 71,813.
Since August, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 1,490 from 169,537 to 171,027 in September. When compared to September 2019, the number of not seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals increased by 66,685.
Since August, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 6,900 jobs from 1,842,500 to 1,849,400 in September. When compared to September 2019, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased by 131,700 jobs.
Since August, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment increased by 600 jobs from 1,521,000 to 1,521,600 in September 2020. When compared to September 2019, not seasonally adjusted private sector employment decreased by 126,600 jobs.
Not seasonally adjusted September unemployment rates for Louisiana’s nine Metropolitan Statistical Areas are as follows:
— Alexandria: 6%, up from 5.3% in September 2019, but down from 6.1% in August.
— Baton Rouge: 7.1%, up from 4.6% in September 2019, but down from 7.2% in August.
— Hammond: 9.4%, up from 5.6% in September 2019, but down from 9.7% in August.
— Houma: 6.8%, up from 4.7% in September 2019, but unchanged from 6.8% in August.
— Lafayette: 7.4%, up from 4.9% in September 2019, but unchanged from 7.4% in August.
— Lake Charles: 12%, up from 4.3% in September 2019 and up from 8.1% in August.
— Monroe: 6.8%, up from 5.5% in September 2019, but unchanged from 6.8% in August.
— New Orleans: 9.5%, up from 4.6% in September 2019, but down from 9.7% in August.
— Shreveport: 7.7%, up from 5.3% in September 2019, but down from 7.8% in August.