La. sees drop in non-farm job growth

With more people looking for jobs and temporary Census jobs ending, Louisiana finished August with 13,600 more non-farm jobs in August than a year ago – a drop in the overall growth from the previous month, state labor officials said Friday.

In July, the state was 20,000 jobs ahead from July 2009, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Louisiana recorded a drop of 1,800 jobs from July to August, which the state Workforce Commission blamed on the end of temporary Census jobs and the annual late-summer lag in hotel activity.

The civilian labor force, which includes those employed and those actively seeking work, has risen by 37,731 over the past 12 months, though there was a drop of 13,865 from July, also on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Since that figure does not include the unemployed who have given up looking for work, a rise can indicate that more people are venturing into the job market.

“We continue to see over-the-year gains in the number of jobs and people in the labor force,” said Curt Eysink, the Workforce Commission’s executive director. “The fact that private-sector jobs are fueling the yearly growth is a positive sign.”

The latest tally shows some life in the goods-producing sector. Although that tally is down by 4,600 from a year ago, the petroleum sector added 400 jobs from July and is up 700 from August 2009. That figure has been carefully watched because of the current deepwater petroleum drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico.

Construction gained 800 jobs in August, cutting the yearly deficit to 1,600. Manufacturing added 800 jobs last month, but is still down 3,700 from the previous August.

The service-providing sector has 18,200 more jobs than a year ago, but fell by 3,800 from July to August. Total government employment in federal, state and local agencies, including local public school districts, was largely level from a year ago.

The largest gainers over the past year in the service sector included professional-business services with 5,800 jobs, private education and all health services with 4,300 jobs and leisure-hospitality with 2,200 jobs.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, Louisiana’s unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent in August from 7.2 percent in July, making it one of 27 states that recorded an increase last month. Louisiana’s jobless rate in August 2009 was 7.3 percent.

The national unemployment rate for August was unchanged from July at 9.6 percent. That rate was 9.7 percent in August 2009.

Among the state’s metropolitan areas:

• Alexandria was down 300 non-farm jobs from August 2009 and 100 from July 2010.

• Baton Rouge’s non-farm employment gained 400 over the month, but was down 600 from August 2009.

• Houma-Thibodaux gained 300 jobs from July to August, but stood down 200 from August 2009.

• Lafayette gained 200 jobs from July to August and was up 1,500 from August 2009.

• Lake Charles lost 300 jobs from July to August, but showed an increase of 1,100 from August 2009.

• Monroe ended August unchanged from both July 2010 and August 2009.

• New Orleans lost 1,400 jobs from July to August, but still finished with 1,900 over August 2009.

– Shreveport-Bossier City gained 300 jobs from July and was up 1,400 from August 2009.