Richland jobless rate falls slightly in August

The unemployment rate in Richland Parish fell slightly in August.
The jobless rate for Richland Parish in August fell to 6.1 percent down from 6.3 percent in July and 7.4 percent a year ago.
This means 511 people were looking for work in the parish in August as opposed to 538 in July and 634 a year ago.
Currently there are 7,831 people working in Richland Parish. That number has fallen from 7,964 in July and 7,915 a year ago.
LaSalle Parish had the lowest unemployment rate in Louisiana with 5.1 percent in August. East Carroll Parish had the highest rate at 10.7 percent.
Louisiana’s job market has expanded for the fourth consecutive month with over-the-year gains in nonfarm jobs and private-sector employment. Nonfarm jobs saw the addition of 24,800 over-the-year not-seasonally adjusted gains while private-sector employment added 27,300 jobs. Approximately 1,200 nonfarm jobs were added from July 2017 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Private-sector employment lost 600 jobs from July 2017.
From July 2017, the not-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.6 percent. This figure is down 0.9 percentage points from August 2016.
“Our state’s job market has undoubtedly made progress in the last twelve months, with the addition of jobs to the local economy and marked declines in regional unemployment rates,” said Ava Dejoie, Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director. “While there is always room for improvement, we must acknowledge each incremental step taken towards building a stronger economic future for Louisiana.”
All nine not-seasonally adjusted metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) showed a decrease in their unemployment rates from August 2016. August unemployment rates, over-the-year nonfarm job changes and over-the-month job gain totals for the nine MSAs are as follows:
• Alexandria: 6.3 percent, down from 6.8 percent from August 2016, but up from 6.2 percent in July. The MSA lost 700 jobs from August 2016 and 300 from July 2017.
• Baton Rouge: 5.0 percent, down from 5.7 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA gained 8,000 jobs from August 2016 and 1,600 jobs from July 2017. The Baton Rouge MSA has had eight straight over-the-year increases.
• Hammond: 6.3 percent, down from 7.1 percent from August 2016 and down from 6.5 percent in July. The MSA gained 700 jobs from August 2016 and 600 from July 2017. The Hammond MSA has had over-the-year gains for 37 consecutive months.
• Houma: 5.7 percent, down from 7.1 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA lost 1,200 jobs from August 2016 and 300 from July 2017.
• Lafayette: 6.0 percent, down from 7.5 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA lost 200 jobs from August 2016, but is up 500 from July 2017.
• Lake Charles: 4.3 percent, down from 5.1 percent from August 2016, but unchanged from July. The MSA gained 6,300 jobs from August 2016 and 600 from July 2017. The Lake Charles MSA continues its series high for nonfarm employment, and has had over-the-year increases for 74 consecutive months. Additionally, the Lake Charles MSA had the nation’s largest over-the-year percentage increase of employment at 5.8 percent.
• Monroe: 5.6 percent, down from 6.5 percent from August 2016, but up from 5.5 percent in July. The MSA gained 1,100 jobs from August 2016, but is down 200 from July 2017. The Monroe MSA has had nine straight over-the-year increases.
• New Orleans: 5.4 percent, down from 6.0 percent from August 2016, but up from 5.3 percent in July. The MSA gained 1,600 jobs from August 2016 and 1,200 from July 2017.
• Shreveport: 6.1 percent, down from 6.9 percent from August 2016, but up from 6.0 percent in July. The MSA lost 2,000 jobs from August 2016 and 700 from July 2017.
The number of not-seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased approximately 20,755 from August 2016 to 117,990. This figure is down 602 from July 2017. Not-seasonally adjusted employed individuals saw a 20,013 decline from July 2017 to 1,973,236.
The not-seasonally adjusted civilian labor force, or the number of people who are employed in addition to those looking for work, decreased by 20,615 from July 2017 to 2,091,226.