Name: Most of Louisiana's big cities saw unemployment rise in August, but rates remain low
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Most of Louisiana's big cities saw unemployment rise in August, but rates remain low

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William Taylor PotterLafayette Daily AdvertiserNearly all of Louisiana’s major metropolitan areas saw their unemployment rates increase in August, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, though unemployment remains lower than normal across the state.Louisiana recorded its lowest ever not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for the month of August with 3.4%, but the unemployment rate did rise slightly from July’s 3.3% — the lowest mark in the state’s history. Even with the slight increase, the state’s unemployment rate is still about 0.5 percentage-points lower than it was in August 2022.It was a similar story for Louisiana’s nine metropolitan statistical areas, with eight seeing slight increases in their unemployment rates between July and August. Only Hammond did not see an increase, remaining at 4.1%, which is the highest unemployment rate of any Louisiana metro area.Here’s what the data showed for Louisiana’s big cities:The Alexandria metro area had an unemployment rate of 3.1% in August, bumping up by 0.1 percentage-point from July. Compared to August 2022, the unemployment rate was down by 0.5 percentage-points.The area saw a slight increase in the number of unemployed workers overall, rising by about 1.63% from July. Unemployment is down by about 13.7% compared to this time last year, the data shows.Alexandria also has seen its employment and labor force shrink recently. From July to August, employment fell by nearly 2%, and employment was down by about 0.4% from August 2022. The labor force for the area fell by 1.9% from July and 0.9% from August 2022.Louisiana’s capital area had an unemployment rate of 3.1% in August, up by 0.1 point from July and down 0.5 points from August 2022.&nbsp;But the number of unemployed workers in the Baton Rouge area rose by 2.6% from July. Still, overall unemployment has fallen by 14.4% compared to August 2022, the data shows.The Baton Rouge area saw employment fall by about 0.05% from July, though it is up by about 0.9% from August 2022. The overall labor force increased slightly from July and has increased by about 0.3% in the past year.The Hammond area was the only metro area in the state not to see its unemployment rate rise in August, though it also had the highest rate of the state’s nine metros. The unemployment rate of 4.1% was down 0.6 percentage-points from August 2022, the data shows.The area saw a slight increase in unemployment from July — a gain of about 1% — but the area has seen an overall decrease of 11.3% in the past year.&nbsp;Employment in the Hammond area dropped by a little less than 1% from July but has increased by about 0.9% since August 2022. Hammond’s labor force fell by 0.9% from July but has increased by about 0.3% from this point last year.The Houma-Thibodaux region had an unemployment rate of 3% in August, an increase from 2.9% in July. Since August 2022, the rate has fallen by 0.8 percentage-points, the data shows.The area had a 2.1% increase in the number of unemployed workers from July to August, but unemployment has fallen by nearly 22% since August 2022.In August, Houma-Thibodaux’s number of employed workers fell by 1.1%, and employment has fallen by about 1.9% in the past year. The labor force shrunk by 1% from July and has declined by 2.7% since August 2022, the data shows.The Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes much of Acadiana, had 3.2% unemployment in August, rising from 3% in July. At this time last year, the unemployment rate was 3.7%.The area had about 4.8% more unemployed workers in August than it did in July, though unemployment has fallen by nearly 15% since August 2022, the data shows.Employment fell by 1.2% in the Lafayette area between July and August, and employment has fallen by about 0.4% in the past year. The labor force total fell by 1% in August and has fallen by about 1% since August 2022.The Lake Charles area is tied with the Houma-Thibodaux area for the lowest unemployment rate among the state’s metro areas with 3%. From July to August, the rate rose by 0.1 percentage-point, but it has fallen by 0.7 points in the past year, the data shows.Unemployment rose by about 1.8% from July in Lake Charles, though it has fallen by nearly 19% since August 2022.The Lake Charles area saw its total number of employed workers fall by 0.9% in August, though it has risen by about 0.6% in the past year. The area’s labor force shrunk by 0.8% from July and about 0.1% from August 2022, the data shows.The Monroe area had an unemployment rate of 3.5% in August, up from 3.4% in July. Compared to August 2022, the unemployment rate has fallen by 0.5 percentage-points.Monroe saw unemployment tick up by 2.4% in August, though it has fallen by 12.6% in the past year, the data shows.Employment in the Monroe area fell by 1.7% from July and has fallen by 0.6% from August 2022. The labor force fell by 1.6% from July and by 1.1% from August 2022.The New Orleans-Metairie metro area saw its unemployment rate rise by 0.2 percentage-points to 3.6% in August. Compared to this time last year, the unemployment rate has fallen by 0.4 points.The area had 4.3% more unemployed workers in August than in July, the data shows, though unemployment has fallen by nearly 10% since August 2022.Employment in the area fell by 0.7% from July and has fallen by about 0.01% in the past year. The labor force decreased by 0.5% from July and 0.4% since August 2022, the data shows.The Shreveport-Bossier area had 3.5% unemployment in August, up from 3.4% in July. In August 2022, the unemployment rate was 4.1%.Unemployment increased by 1.4% from July, but has decreased by about 14.2% since August 2022, the data shows.Employment in the Shreveport-Bossier area fell by 1.4% from July to August and has fallen by 0.2% from August 2022. The labor force shrunk by 1.3% in August and is down 0.8% from August 2022.

William Taylor PotterLafayette Daily AdvertiserNearly all of Louisiana’s major metropolitan areas saw their unemployment rates increase in August, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, though unemployment remains lower than normal across the state.Louisiana recorded its lowest ever not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for the month of August with 3.4%, but the unemployment rate did rise slightly from July’s 3.3% — the lowest mark in the state’s history. Even with the slight increase, the state’s unemployment rate is still about 0.5 percentage-points lower than it was in...

Most of Louisiana's big cities saw unemployment rise in August, but rates remain low

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