Tri-Parish workforce drops 2%

The Tri-Parish workforce declined by 2 percent in April compared to count a year ago, according to not-seasonally-adjusted data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were 71,810 people either working or looking for employment in the parishes of St. Landry, Evangeline and Acadia in April, down 73,277 from a year ago in April.
In year-to-year comparisons, St. Landry Parish’s workforce dropped 1.7 percent, Evangeline Parish’s workforce declined 1.3 percent and Acadia Parish posted a 2.7 percent drop in its workforce.
St. Landry Parish’s unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in April, up from 7.7 percent in April 2015. Out of a workforce of 33,419, there were 30,780 people employed and 2,639 people looking for jobs. That compares to 31,399 employed and 2,612 unemployed in April 2015. The April unemployment rate was down from March’s 8.1 percent.
In Evangeline Parish, the April jobless rate was 7.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent a year ago. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 11,926 people working and 913 unemployed in April. In April 2015, there were 12,068 people working and 941 unemployed. The jobless rate rose from March’s 7.6 percent.
Acadia Parish’s unemployment rate in April was 7.2 percent, up from 6.4 percent in April 2015. There were 23,725 people employed and 1,827 unemployed in April compared to 24,578 working and 1,679 unemployed a year ago. The April jobless rate was down from 7.3 percent in March.
Unemployment rates fell in all nine of Louisiana’s metropolitan statistical areas in April, according to not-seasonally-adjusted data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission released seasonally-adjusted data for the state on May 20.
Not-seasonally-adjusted data represent a snapshot of employment but are not adjusted for seasonal factors. The not-seasonally-adjusted rate for Louisiana in April was 5.8 percent, down from 6.1 percent in March as the number of people without a job but actively seeking one fell by 6,997. Not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Louisiana’s metropolitan statistical areas in April were as follows:
— Alexandria: 5.7 percent, down from 6.2 percent in March and 6.3 percent a year ago;
— Baton Rouge: 4.8 percent, down from 5 percent in March and 5.2 percent a year ago;
— Hammond: 6.5 percent, down from 6.8 percent in March and 6.9 percent a year ago;
— Houma: 6.3 percent, down from 6.7 percent in March and up from 5.5 percent a year ago;
— Lafayette: 6.9 percent, down from 7.1 percent in March and up from 6 percent a year ago;
— Lake Charles: 4.7 percent, down from 5 percent in March and down from 5.2 percent a year ago;
— New Orleans: 5.3 percent, down from 5.6 percent in March and down from 5.7 percent a year ago; and
— Shreveport: 6.2 percent, down from 6.5 percent in March and down from 6.6 percent a year ago.
There were 2,023,947 people working in Louisiana in April, down from 2,040,733 a year ago. There were 125,326 people looking for work in April, down from 131,433 a year ago.
The April jobless rate was 5.8 percent, down from 6.1 percent a year ago