From Staff Reports
Unemployment in St. Mary Parish jumped by more than 1 percent to hit 10 percent for the month of June.
Of a labor pool of 21,422 in June, 2,391 residents were unemployed, an increase of 317 from May, when the parish registered an 8.9 percent unemployment rate, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
In June 2009, unemployment was 8.7 percent.
In Assumption Parish, joblessness leaped 1.2 percent to 11.3 percent for June. In June 2009, unemployment was only 8.9 percent.
The jobless rate also jumped in the Houma-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. June’s 6 percent jobless rate was 0.8 percent higher than May’s 5.2 percent rate. Individually, Lafourche Parish recorded 5.8 percent unemployment in June, up from 5 percent in May, while Terrebonne’s rate grew from 5.4 percent in May to 6.1 percent in June.
The Houma MSA rate in June 2009 was 5.7 percent.
Despite the jump, Lafourche and Terrebonne still have the lowest joblessness rate in the state. The next lowest unemployment rate is in Bossier Parish, where unemployment stands at 6.3 percent.
Also around St. Mary Parish, Iberia Parish posted an 8.5 percent unemployment rate, up from 7.5 percent in May; and St. Martin Parish reported 8 percent unemployment in June, up from 7 percent in May. The Lafayette MSA, which includes St. Martin Parish, reported 6.6 percent unemployment, with the larger Lafayette Parish reporting 6.3 percent unemployment.
The highest unemployment in the state belongs to northeastern Louisiana, where West Carroll Parish registered a 17 percent unemployment rate. East Carroll and Tensas parishes both recorded 16.6 percent jobless rates, and Morehouse Parish reported a 15.6 rate.
Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted rate, used to compare states and the nation, was 7 percent in June, up from May’s revised rate of 6.8 percent. Louisiana’s June rate was tied with Virginia for the 12th lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
The state’s unadjusted civilian labor force rose by 34,586 from May to June to a total of nearly 2.13 million. That’s the highest June level recorded. The civilian labor force is estimated from a separate sample survey of residences taken around the 12th of each month.
Louisiana’s unadjusted nonfarm employment grew by 5,600 jobs from May to June, with New Orleans leading the state’s metro areas with a gain of 1,700 jobs during the month.
The approximately 1.91 million June job total reflected an annual gain of 9,400 from June 2009, marking the first over-the-year increase since December 2008. Nonfarm statistics are estimated from an employer-based sample survey taken by place of work for the pay period including the 12th of every month.
“The job growth statewide in June is very encouraging when you consider it against a backdrop of factors that are working against that growth, not the least of which are the federal drilling moratorium and the soft national economy,” LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink said.
Along with New Orleans, other Louisiana MSAs that had job gains during the month were Shreveport, which gained 500 jobs; Lake Charles, 400 more jobs; Baton Rouge, 300 jobs; and Houma, 200 jobs. The job increase in New Orleans was distributed across several major industry sectors, including manufacturing, information, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and local government.
In the past year, New Orleans increased its nonfarm employment by 4,800, while Baton Rouge added 1,400 positions. Monroe’s employee count rose by 500 from last June.
The seasonal increase in unemployment rates, due to the entry of students into the labor force and the seasonal layoffs at post-secondary educational facilities, continued to hold true in June, as Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 7.1 in May to 8.3 percent in June. This mirrors the usual summer pattern as seen in June 2009, with schools out of session and teens looking for jobs.
The U.S. unemployment rate for June was 9.6 percent, up from the May rate of 9.3 percent. Every parish and MSA in the state recorded an increase in their unemployment rate as the number of individuals, 16 years and older, who were either working or actively looking for work increased from May.
While the number of unemployed increased as local schools ended for the summer, the gain of teenagers looking for summer jobs in the labor force showed some were hired in industries that favor student workers, such as amusement and recreational facilities. Those venues are included in the leisure and hospitality industry sector, which added 2,700 jobs in June.
Parish and MSA unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Unadjusted rates are used to compare MSAs, parishes and counties to each other and to states and the nation.
Other Acadiana area parishes with approximately the same labor pool as St. Mary and their non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were:
—St. Martin, 22,682 jobs, 8 percent.
—St. Charles, 23,616, 8.2.
—Acadia (Crowley), 24,884, 7.5.
—Iberia, 31,645, 8.5.
—St. Landry (Opelousas/Eunice), 36,124, 9.2.
—Vermilion (Abbeville), 23,369, 7.7.
—Vernon (Fort Polk South), 20,065, 7.0.