Jobless rate, employment down here in August

Staff report
The St. Mary Parish unemployment rate was down slightly in August, and so was the total number of jobs here, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported.
The jobless rate was 5.1% in August, down from 5.2% in July but higher than the 4.6% rate posted in August 2023.
The commission reported that 17,738 people were employed in August in St. Mary, down 188 from July and down 315 from August 2023.
The number of unemployed people — those who are seeking jobs but haven’t been hired — fell 25 to 963 in August.
In Assumption, the August unemployment rate was 4.9%, up from 4.6% in July and from 4.5% in August 2023. Employment was at 8,396 in August, down by 101 jobs from July but up by three jobs from August 2023.
Statewide, Louisiana’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in August, compared to a national rate of 4.2%.
Louisiana gained about 2,500 jobs month over month, raising employment to about 2.1 million.
Leisure and hospitality, a sector in which employment has bounced up and down dramatically, added 1,300 jobs in August.
Private education and health services continued to be a fast-growing sector, adding 1,200 jobs from July to August.
Trade, transportation and utilities lost 900 jobs in August. The manufacturing sector lost 600 jobs.
Mining and logging, which includes most energy industry jobs, gained 300 jobs.