BATON ROUGE – The
state gained 1,400 nonfarm jobs over the month and 59,900 jobs over the year.
The
November 2006
nonfarm job gains were repeated in every Metropolitan Statistical Area in the
state.
The unemployment
rate for November 2006 increased slightly to 4.5 percent from the October rate
of 4.2
percent. The
state’s rate was the same as the November national unemployment rate of 4.5
percent. Louisiana’s
civilian labor
force for November 2006 increased to 1,874,034, from 1,870,152, in October. The
number of
employed in
November was 1,788,901, a slight decrease from 1,791,470 in October. The state’s
unemployed
for November
increased to 85,133, from 78,682 in October.
“Post hurricane job growth
continued to be reflected in the November nonfarm employment figures with a
59,900 job
increase over last year. Not only are we adding nonfarm jobs both monthly and
annually but the
State’s
unemployment rate has been at or below the national level since June of this
year,” Louisiana Secretary
of Labor John
Warner Smith said.
Unadjusted
unemployment rates compare parishes and metropolitan
statistical areas (MSAs) to the state. The
November 2006
unadjusted unemployment rate for Louisiana was 4.2 percent, up from the October
rate of 3.9
percent. The unemployment rates for the MSAs were:
Alexandria, 3.7 percent, up from 3.5 percent in October;
Baton Rouge, 3.8
up from 3.6; Houma, 3.0, up from 2.9; Lafayette, 2.9, up from 2.8; Lake Charles,
3.7, up from
3.4; Monroe, 4.0,
up from 3.9; New Orleans, 5.0, up from 4.8; and Shreveport-Bossier City, 4.1, up
from 3.9
percent last
month. Lafayette Parish had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent in
November, while East
Carroll Parish had
the highest rate at 8.1 percent.
Preliminary
seasonally adjusted statewide total nonfarm employment for November 2006 was
1,793,000
compared to
1,791,600 for the revised October 2006 figure, for an increase of 1,400 workers.
The sector
breakdown was as
follows: natural resources and mining, 49,100 employed in November, up from
48,800
employed in
October; construction, 111,100, down from 111,400; manufacturing, 147,300, up
from 146,800;
trade,
transportation, and utilities, 365,200, down from 366,700; information, 28,300, up from
28,200; financial
activities,
95,500, up from 95,400; professional and business services, 176,600, up from
175,500; educational
and health
services, 215,300, up from 215,200; leisure and hospitality, 178,400, up from
177,900; other services,
60,900, up from
60,100; and government, 365,300, down from 365,600.
For more detailed
information on the
November 2006 employment data for Louisiana, visit our Web site at