La. adds 52,700 jobs over 12 months
Louisiana had 52,700 more jobs in June than it did a year before, with most of the gains in the private sector, according to a monthly jobs report released Friday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
Total nonfarm employment for June rose to 1,947,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis.
“These numbers are useful in identifying trends over time, and the clearest trend is Louisiana continues to see consistent, healthy growth in private-sector jobs,” said Curt Eysink, executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The announcement Friday marks 22 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, the commission reported.
The state’s unemployment rate in June was 7.5 percent, up 0.3 percent since May and down from 8.1 percent in June 2011. The civilian labor force — the number of people working plus those looking for work — grew by 26,832 over the year, to a seasonally adjusted total of 2,080,716, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported.
A separate weekly report showed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits fell in Louisiana for the week ending July 14 from the previous week’s total.
The commission said initial claims fell to 3,675 from the previous week’s total of 3,960. The figure was lower than it was for the comparable week a year earlier, when there were 4,398 initial claims.
The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, decreased to 3,681 from the previous week’s total of 3,714.
Continued unemployment claims claimed for the week ending July 14 totaled 36,268, an increase from 35,550 the previous week. The four-week moving average for such claims increased to 35,550 from 35,157.
Across the nation, June’s nonfarm employment increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia since June 2011, and decreased in six states. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier. The national jobless rate, at 8.2 percent, was unchanged from May but 0.9 percentage point lower than in June 2011.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.