(The Center Square) – Both employment and unemployment numbers are rising steadily this year in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, according to recent data gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report, updated by the bureau Friday, showed data from March through July of this year. There were 161,417 people employed in the Shreveport-Bossier City area in July, a slight increase from the reported 159,773 in March. Employment numbers steadily risen since January, when 157,970 people were employed.
While more residents are employed, unemployment has also risen. In July, the unemployment rate was 4.6%, up from 4.4% in March. Unemployment peaked at 5% in June and reached a low of 4% in April. In July, there were 7,799 people unemployed in Shreveport.
Despite unemployment numbers seeing a drop from June to July, overall data is higher than at the start of the year.
Data for August is unavailable for employment and unemployment in the area.
When looking back at the past five years in Shreveport-Bossier, employment has been on a slow rise. After experiencing a significant employment drop in 2020 due to the pandemic, unemployment also saw a drastic increase, with many out of work. Since then, the unemployment rate has improved, but it has slowly started rising over the last few years.
The city’s peak unemployment was in May of 2020, with a reported 19,868 people out of work and only 140,709 employed. That was two months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bureau breaks employment down by industry and shows that some are increasing while others are decreasing. Industries reported include mining and lodging, construction, manufacturing, education and health services, government and hospitality.
