St. Mary Parish’s jobless rate climbed over 1 percentage point in June, but the number of jobs in the parish also increased for the first time since February. The unemployment rate rose to 8 percent during June compared to May’s 6.8 percent unemployment rate. However, the amount of employed residents increased, too, in June to 18,608 people, a 68-person increase from the 18,540 residents employed during May. That rise in the number of employed residents was the first such monthly increase since February, when the parish gained 24 jobs compared to January. But the number of unemployed rose by 281 ...