The Baton Rouge area lost 4,800 jobs from December to January, giving the region 20,700 fewer jobs than it had a year ago.
Overall, the state dropped 33,300 jobs month-to-month, bringing the total number of nonfarm jobs in Louisiana to just over 1.8 million, according to figures released Monday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. That’s 164,900, or 8.3%, fewer jobs than in January 2020. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
Louisiana lost tens of thousands of jobs in early 2021 as seasonal hires drop off
The data was based off surveys taken by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics during the second week of January, before access to coronavirus vaccines had become widespread.
The month-to-month drop brought the total number of jobs in Baton Rouge to 384,200. That’s 5.1% below the 404,900 jobs in the metro area in January 2020.
Leisure and hospitality, the sector that has been hardest hit by the drop in people dining out and traveling, was one of the few categories to see job gains from December to January. The number of people working in the field increased by 400, or 1.2%, to 34,700. However, there are still 3,900 fewer jobs in the sector than in January 2020.
Manufacturing shed 1,500 jobs month-to-month to end down 5.1%, at 27,800 jobs. Professional and business services was down 1,500 jobs, a 3.1%, to 46,400. Construction was down by 900 jobs, or 2.2%, at 40,100.
The Baton Rouge unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 6.7% in January. That’s up from a 6.4% rate in December and well above the 4.7% unemployment in January 2020.
Louisiana’s January unemployment rate was 7.6%, up from 5.2% in January 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.8%, up from 4% the year before.
LAFAYETTE AREA: The Acadiana region dropped 3,500 jobs from December to January to reach 186,400. In comparison, there were 203,500 jobs in the area in January 2020. Retail trade lost 700 jobs, or 2.6%, to 26,000. Leisure and hospitality was down 600 jobs, or 3.1%, to 18,600. Mining and logging, which includes oil and gas jobs, was down 200 month-to-month at 9,700. There were 12,900 jobs in that sector in January 2020. The unemployment rate in Lafayette was 7% in January, up from 6.6% in December and 5.1% in January 2020.
NEW ORLEANS AREA: The New Orleans area lost 7,600 jobs from December to January, a 1.4% decrease, to reach 521,400. That’s 66,000 below the number of jobs in January 2020. Trade, transportation and utilities was down 3,300 month to month, or 3%, to 105,700 jobs. Retail trade dropped 2,600 jobs, or 4.3%, to 58,600. Manufacturing lost 1,600 jobs, or 5.4%, to 28,300. New Orleans, which is heavily dependent on tourism, conventions and restaurants, had a 9.1% unemployment rate in January. That’s up from 8.7% in December and 4.7% in January 2020.
OTHER AREAS: Lake Charles had a 1.3% decrease in jobs from December to January, or by 1,200 to reach 89,600 jobs. Hammond had a 1.5% decrease, or 700 jobs, to 45,200. Monroe was off by 1.7%, or 1,300 jobs, with 73,800. Alexandria fell 2%, or 1,200, to 59,400 jobs. Houma-Thibodaux was down 2.6%, or 2,100 jobs, to 80,100. Shreveport-Bossier City was down 3.1%, or 5,200, to 163,600 jobs.
