Louisiana nonfarm jobs increase in March, compared to 2007

© 2008 The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Jobs gains in the service industry fueled an increase last month in Louisiana's nonfarm employment, the state labor department reported Friday.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the state had 30,300 more non-farm jobs in March than it had in the same month last year. That increase includes 22,900 more service-providing jobs and 7,400 more goods-producing jobs.

Total nonfarm employment for March 2008 was 1,945,800, an increase of 10,500 jobs over the previous month.

Job gains in the state's service-providing sector over the year included increases of 9,100 educational and health services jobs, 5,200 leisure and hospitality jobs and 3,000 retail trade jobs.

Manufacturing jobs in the state's goods-producing sector rose by 1,600 between March 2007 and March 2008. The state also gained 4,400 construction jobs over the same period.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the state's unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in March, an increase from the previous month's mark of 3.7 percent. The national unemployment rate last month was 5.1 percent.

The department reported 9,118 new and renewed claims for unemployment compensation last month, down from 11,528 in February and 9,151 in March 2007. Last month, 2,117 recipients exhausted their benefits, up from 1,543 in February and 1,997 in March 2007.

Nonfarm jobs in New Orleans rose by 9,800 over the year, with 3,400 coming from the goods-producing sector and 6,400 from the service-providing sector.