St. Landry Parish unemployment rate up since last year

BATON ROUGE — The St. Landry Parish unemployment was 7.8 percent in February, down from 8.6 percent January, but up from 6.4 percent a year ago in February, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday.
There were 31,462 people working in St. Landry Parish in February, up from 30,856 people working in February 2014. The number of people working in January was 31,401.
Louisiana’s unemployment rate improved in all nine metro areas in February and both the number of people in the workforce and the number of people working have grown, according to not seasonally adjusted data
released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state’s civilian labor force grew by 79,227 over the year to 2,164,909 in February, according to the not seasonally adjusted data. The number of people employed in the labor force was 2,030,116, the highest February on record. The number of people unemployed but seeking work was 134,793, based on estimates from a BLS monthly survey of 750 Louisiana households.
A separate BLS survey of 7,000 employers across industries and the state found total nonfarm employment was 1,980,500 in February, not seasonally adjusted data show. That figure reflects an increase of 23,500 jobs over the year.
“The robust labor force growth in Louisiana is ideal for new jobs employers who have been adding jobs,” said LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink. “In addition, unemployment decreased throughout the state.”
Louisiana’s unemployed rate was 6.2 percent in February, up 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier but a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from January, not seasonally adjusted data show. The national rate in February was 5.8 percent, down from 7.0 percent over the year and a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous month.
Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates fell over the month in Louisiana’s nine metro areas as follows:
Alexandria: 6.5 percent, down from 7.4 percent in January;
Baton Rouge: 5.5 percent, down from 6.3 percent;
Hammond: 7.1 percent, down from 8.0 percent;
Houma, 5.0 percent, down from 5.5 percent;
Lafayette: 5.7 percent, down from 6.0 percent;
Lake Charles: 5.4 percent, down from 6.2 percent;
Monroe: 6.8 percent, down from 7.7 percent;
New Orleans: 6.1 percent, down from 6.9 percent;
Shreveport: 6.8 percent, down from 7.6 percent.
Private employers added 29,700 jobs over the year, not seasonally adjusted data show. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-year gain, with 8,100 new jobs. Other sectors with strong gains included trade, transportation, and utilities with 7,500 additional jobs over the year; education and health services, up 5,500 jobs; and information, up 2,900 jobs.
The government sector lost 6,200 jobs over the year, the most of any sector, including the loss of 4,400 state jobs and 1,800 local government jobs, according to not seasonally adjusted data. Other sectors with
over-the-year declines were mining and logging, down 3,300, and profes
sional and business services, down 800.
Not seasonally adjusted data are useful for comparing trends in parishes and metropolitan statistical areas, and for comparing them to the state. Seasonally adjusted data, which were released Friday, are useful for comparisons among states and the nation.