The Acadiana area lost another 300 jobs between March and April but has still added 8,600 jobs over the year, data shows.
Louisiana added 6,800 jobs month-to-month, for a total of 1.8 million, according to data released Friday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. That’s 123,000 more jobs, or 7.2% more than in April 2020. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
The data was compiled through surveys conducted in mid-April, a few weeks after the state allowed everyone over the age of 16 to get the COVID vaccine.
Education and health services was down 800 jobs over the month to 32,700. The sector was up 2,800 jobs for the year.
Leisure and hospitality was up 100 jobs over the month and 6,400 jobs over the year to 19,300 jobs. Mining and logging, which includes oil and gas, was up 100 jobs over the month but still down 3,400 jobs over the year, or 9.4% for 10,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate in Lafayette, not seasonally adjusted, was 5.9% in April, down from 6.4% in March and a peak in April 2020 of 11.3%.
Louisiana’s April unemployment rate was 6.6%, flat over the month and down from 12.7% over the year. The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.7% compared to 6.2% in March and down from 14.4% in April 2020.
CAPITAL REGION: The Baton Rouge metro area lost another 1,500 jobs between March and April but has rebounded from the height of job losses during the coronavirus pandemic. The Capital Region had 387,100 jobs in April, up 32,700 jobs, 9.2% more than compared to April 2020. The leisure and hospitality sector lost 700 jobs between March and April, adding back 13,400 jobs, or 60% over the year to 35,700. Trade, transportation and utilities were down 1,000 jobs over the month and up 5,000 jobs over the year, up 7.9%, for 67,800 jobs.
Construction dropped month-over-month, losing another 100 jobs but recovering 5,000 since last year, or 13.6%, for 41,600 jobs overall. Education and health services lost 100 jobs, but was up 3,500 jobs, or 7.2% over the year. Professional and business services added 300 jobs since March and 600 jobs compared to last year, or 1.3%, to 46,500.
The Baton Rouge unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 5.8%, flat compared to March, but down from highs of 11.7% in April 2020.
NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans metro area added 4,500 jobs in April from the month before, but the area still has nearly 60,000 fewer jobs than it did before the start of the COVID pandemic.
There were 526,400 nonfarm jobs in the region in April, compared to 521,900 jobs in March. In comparison, there were 586,300 jobs in February 2020.
The Crescent City added 42,100 jobs from April 2020, an 8.7% gain.
The leisure and hospitality sector added 2,000 jobs month-to-month for 64,300 jobs. That was up 20,800 jobs, or 47.8%, from April 2020.
Education and health services added 1,000 jobs from March to hit 102,800. That was up 7,100 jobs from April 2020. Trade, transportation and utilities added 700 jobs to hit 104,600, up 8,300 from April 2020.
The New Orleans unemployment rate was 8.1%, up from 7.5% in March but down from 16.6% in April 2020.
OTHER AREAS: Shreveport-Bossier City added 1,600 jobs over the month and recovered 10,900 over the year to 168,100. Monroe added 200 jobs over the month, added 5,200 jobs over the year to 74,000. Alexandria added 100 jobs over the month, added 3,600 jobs over the year to 59,900. Hammond added 100 jobs over the month and 3,800 over the year to 45,400 jobs. Houma-Thibodaux lost 100 jobs over the month but added 3,800 jobs over the year to 81,800. Lake Charles lost 100 jobs over the month and 2,900 over the year for 92,000 jobs.
