(The Center Square) – Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment rose to slightly more than 2 million jobs, an increase of 900 from May and 22,900 compared to the same month last year.
Private sector employment also continued its steady rise, with 1.68 million jobs in June — a gain of 500 from the previous month and 20,000 over the year. The state has seen private-sector job gains in 31 of the last 39 months.
“This 51-month streak of job growth is a reflection of the hard work of Louisiana’s employees and the strategic efforts we’ve made to create meaningful, lasting opportunities across the state,” said Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Susana Schowen.
Louisiana has recently implemented several workforce and economic development reforms aimed at boosting wages and employment.
Recent efforts include the launch of the High Impact Jobs Program, which offers grants to businesses creating high-wage jobs in key industries, and legislation to streamline job training and public assistance services under a new “One Door” model.
While labor force participation has slightly declined over the year, officials say these initiatives are part of a broader strategy to support long-term wage growth and economic opportunity.
Despite employment gains, Louisiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.5% in June but has risen 0.3 percentage points from 4.2% a year earlier. The number of unemployed individuals ticked up slightly from May to 92,694, while the number of employed individuals grew by 2,825 to 1.98 million.
Overall the labor force has shrunk slightly year-over-year — from 2.08 million in June 2024 to 2.07 million in June 2025. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed individuals has grown from 87,402 to 92,694 in the same period.
Major over-the-month job gains were concentrated in:
Leisure and Hospitality (added 700 jobs) Private Education and Health Services (added 1,700 jobs)Construction and Information (each added 500 jobs)
On a year-over-year basis, Education and Health Services led all sectors with 13,000 new jobs, followed by Leisure and Hospitality (added 4,700) and Government (added 2,900).
Among Louisiana’s metro areas, Baton Rouge saw the largest over-the-month job increase (added 1,800), while New Orleans recorded the largest monthly decline of 900. Still, most MSAs showed positive job growth year-over-year, with New Orleans adding 5,300 jobs and Slidell gaining 3,100.
Not-seasonally-adjusted data shows a slightly different story. Nonfarm employment dipped by 12,800 jobs in June to nearly 2 million compared to May, though it remains up by 27,200 over the year. The not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in June, up from 4.6% in May.
