St. Mary jobless rate stays at 5.2%

St. Mary unemployment remained steady at 5.2% in September despite a slight dip in the number of jobs here.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission reported this week that 17,686 people were employed here in September, down 32 from the August total. The number of unemployed people — people without jobs who are actively seeking work — was up seven to 970.
In September 2023, the unemployment rate for St. Mary was 4.4% on employment of 18,201.
In Assumption, the jobless rate was 5.0% in September, ticking upward from 4.9% in August.
Month-over-month unemployment was down by 12 to 8,386. Unemployment was at 439 in September, up 50 from August.
The Assumption jobless rate was 4.4% in September 2023 on employment of 8,445.
Statewide, the September unemployment rate was 3.9% on employment of about 1.9 million. Louisiana lost 2,300 jobs month over month.
Louisiana’s August unemployment rate was 4.2%.
The biggest gain was in the private education and health services sector, which put on 4,800 jobs month over month.
The biggest losses were in leisure and hospitality, where employment fell by 1,900; construction, which lost 1,500 jobs; and professional and business services, which lost 900 jobs.