For the first time in five years, Louisiana has more jobs than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a report from the nonpartisan think tank Leaders for a Better Louisiana. The report shows that overall, jobs are up 1.1% over the last year and more than 2% over the last two years.
Chief Executive Officer Adam Knapp says the state now has 4,100 more jobs than it did in February of 2020. As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, Knapp declared, “We’re finally back into new territory of growth, not just getting back what we lost.” Better Louisiana calls this a major milestone.
But Knapp also stresses that the state still trails most Southern states in long-term job growth. “That to me is the biggest part of what the state needs to be doing, is have a clear game plan of the sectors that are going to be driving the greatest growth and how to go after those.”
The agency’s study shows half of Southern States have seen job growth of 8% or more since 2018. The average job growth in the South was 7%. Louisiana, meanwhile, is the only Southern state to see negative job numbers since 2018, with a loss of 1% of jobs.
Better Louisiana states that wages have grown rapidly across all Southern States. In Louisiana, wages have risen 19% in four years, slightly below the Southern average of 20%.
Knapp also points out that the state has reversed years of population decline, thanks in large part to a surge in international migration. He credits Louisiana’s low cost of living for the increase.
Leaders for a Better Louisiana came into existence in mid-January, with the merger of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development (C100) and the Council for a Better Louisiana. Each agency continues to use their current websites until a new, combined site is launched.
