Region’s unemployment numbers still low

The Houma-Thibodaux metropolitan area had the lowest unemployment rate at 4.3 percent of all metro areas in Louisiana in May, but the rate rose seven-tenths of a percent from April.

Lafourche had the lowest unemployment rate in May of all parishes in the state at 4.2 percent, followed by Terrebonne Parish’s 4.3 percent.

The metro area with the second lowest unemployment rate was Lafayette with 5 percent.

Lafourche’s unemployment rate jumped seven-tenths of a percent from April’s 3.5 and Terrebonne’s increased six-tenths of a percent from 3.7 percent in April.

St. Mary Parish’s unemployment rate in May was 6.8 percent, up from April’s 6 percent.

All three parishes’ unemployment rates have risen one-and-a-half points or higher since May 2008.

St. Mary’s has increased three percentage points since May 2008. Both Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes had 2.7 percent unemployment rates in the same month last year.

In May, the Houma-Thibodaux area lost a small number of jobs from April, 200 in the service sector and the same number in the goods-producing sector. The area has lost 520 jobs since May 2008, though Houma-Thibodaux gained 700 service-sector jobs during the same period.

The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector employed the most people in the area in May with 25,000. Under the goods-producing category, oil and gas extraction and its support activities in Houma-Thibodaux employed 12,300.

Government jobs supported the second highest number of workers in the area at 14,200, same as in April but up by 100 from May 2008. Retail trade employed 10,800 in the area in May.