Louisiana jobless rate rises in June

The state’s jobless rate rose from 7.2 percent in May as the labor force grew faster than people could find jobs, according to figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate in June 2011 was 7.3 percent. The jobless rate fell to 6.9 percent in January, but has been slowly drifting upward since.

The number of unemployed Louisianans rose to 155,400 from 149,700 in May. A year ago, 146,800 people were jobless.

The unemployment rate is calculated by a survey that asks how many people are looking for a job. A second survey each month asks employers how many people are on their payrolls, a measure that many economists look to as their top labor market indicator.

That payroll survey shows the number of nonfarm employees in the state fell by about 1,500 jobs during the month to 1.947 million, but payrolls remained significantly above their June 2011 level. Louisiana’s 2.8 percent growth in payrolls over the year is the second largest, on a percentage basis, behind only North Dakota.

The only state economic sectors that showed employment growth from May to June, according to seasonally adjusted figures, were construction, education and health services, and trade, transportation and utilities. Jobs in financial activities shrank the most sharply.

Overall, jobless levels rose in 27 states, with Nevada retaining the highest rate at 11.6 percent and North Dakota keeping the lowest, falling to 2.9 percent.

The national unemployment rate stayed steady at 8.2 percent in June, and remained below the 9.1 percent level of June 2011.

The broadest measure of those who are unemployed which includes people who are looking for work only sporadically, have given up looking or are working part time because they can’t find a full-time job averaged 13 percent in Louisiana over the 12 months ending March 30, the most recent figures available.

Nationwide, that broad measure averaged 15.6 percent during the same time.