Report: Parish job growth on the rise

By 
Allison Cryer
Tuesday, July 9, 2019

The latest employment figures show job growth in the parish is on the rise.

According to preliminary estimates released this week by the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), in Jeff Davis Parish, the unemployment rate for May was listed at 3.9 percent, which represents a one-percent decrease over last year. The report is released each month and looks at non-seasonally adjusted unemployment for the state.

The unemployment rate for JDP in May 2018 was 4.7 percent, and 3.4 percent in April.

There were 514 without jobs in the parish and 12,823 listed as employed during the month of May.

LWC listed 173 job openings advertised online in Jeff Davis. Health care and social assistance jobs topped the list with 43 job openings. Food service occupations came in second with 36 advertised jobs listed and retail trade jobs came in third with 18 job openings.

The parish’s unemployment rate sits between neighboring parishes, including Calcasieu Parish at 3.4 percent and Acadia Parish, with 4.6 percent of residents listed as unemployed during the month of May.

Jennings American Legion Hospital, Sonic Corp. , McDonald’s Corp. and CVS Health were listed employers with the most job openings in the parish.

Statewide, Louisiana’s nonseasonally adjusted unemployed individuals decreased by 14,154 since May 2018 to 85,981 in May 2019. The unemployment rate was 4.4 percent and represented a decline in all metro areas.

The unemployment rate in JDP came in above the national average, with the nation’s nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May coming in at 3.6 percent rate.

A resource for employers and job-seekers in the parish can be found on LWC’s website. Jobseekers can explore careers, apply for top-rated jobs and connect with local training providers using Louisiana Star Jobs, the LWC’s free career tool, that can be found at http://www.laworks.net/Stars/.Employers looking for workers can visit Louisiana’s employment homepage at www.laworks.net and Click on HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) to create an account allowing access to qualified job seekers.