Louisiana’s unemployment rate doesn't paint accurate picture

A new federal jobs report shows Louisiana’s employment growth in August was negligible despite an outsized drop in the state’s unemployment rate.

“Although Louisiana’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.6 to 6.2 (percent), the reason for this decrease was not because people were finding jobs. Instead, the decrease was driven by people giving up and leaving the labor market all together,” said Eric Peterson, a policy director at the New Orleans-based Pelican Institute. “For every 10 people returning to work in Louisiana, seven have left the labor market.”