NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Louisiana’s unemployment rate continued rising in July, worsening for the fourth straight month.
The state’s jobless rate rose to 4.9 percent from 4.7 percent in June. Despite the rebound, unemployment remained below the July 2017 rate of 5 percent.
The number of unemployed Louisianans rose by 4,000 to 105,000, as a decline in working people outstripped a smaller decline in the state’s workforce.
The separate employer payroll survey – which is many economists’ top labor market indicator – was flat at 1.99 million. Payrolls remain 21,000 above year-ago levels, thanks to strong gains in early 2018.
July’s U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent from 4 percent in June. Louisiana has the third-highest jobless rate among states
The U.S. Labor Department released figures Friday, adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes
