{"id":2532392,"date":"2026-01-10T17:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jobs-data-shows-louisiana-muddling-through-economist\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T17:54:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:54:38","slug":"jobs-data-shows-louisiana-muddling-through-economist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jobs-data-shows-louisiana-muddling-through-economist\/","title":{"rendered":"Jobs data shows Louisiana &#8216;muddling through&#8217;: Economist"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjobs-data-shows-louisiana-muddling-through-economist%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2532392&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Louisiana&#8217;s job market showed modest enhancement over the year but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-demographic-shifts-threaten-democrats-grip-on-the-state\/\" title=\"California&#039;s demographic shifts threaten Democrats&#039; grip on the state\">remains largely stagnant<\/a>, an LSU Shreveport economist says. The state&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-adds-a-strong-379000-jobs-in-hopeful-sign-for-economy\/\" title=\"US Adds a Strong 379,000 Jobs in Hopeful Sign for ...\">unemployment rate fell<\/a> to 4.3% in November (below the U.S. rate of 4.6%), with unemployed residents dropping to about 88,684 from 96,134 a year earlier while the labor force stayed near 2.08 million. Douglas White described the situation as &#8220;muddling through,&#8221; with the rate bouncing between roughly 4% and 5% for about 18 months after a near\u20113% dip in late 2022 that economists viewed as unsustainably low. Due to a federal shutdown, the November report focused on year\u2011over\u2011year comparisons. Other indicators looked stronger: Louisiana&#8217;s real GDP grew at a 4% annual rate in Q2 2025 and personal income rose 6.8% annually. Large investment announcements (Meta,Hut 8,Woodside Energy,Hyundai Steel) may boost the economy over time,but such projects don&#8217;t always produce immediate,broad labor\u2011market changes. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amid-dems-aggressive-spending-plans-feds-chief-inflation-measure-posted-biggest-year-over-year-rise-since-1992\/\" title=\"Amid Dems\u2019 Aggressive Spending Plans, Fed\u2019s Chief Inflation Measure Posted Biggest ...-Over-... Rise Since 1992\">recent data suggest<\/a> more people are entering the labor force and finding work rather than leaving it.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jobs data shows Louisiana &lsquo;muddling through&rsquo;: Economist<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2468615\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &minus; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/louisiana\/\">Louisiana&rsquo;s<\/a> job market showed modest improvement over the past year, but the state&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/economy\/\">economy<\/a> remains mostly stagnant, an LSU Shreveport economist says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/unemployment\/\">unemployment<\/a> rate fell to 4.3% in November, tied for 33rd among the 50 states and lower than the national rate of 4.6%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of unemployed Louisianans declined to 88,684, down from 96,134 a year earlier, while the state&rsquo;s labor force was essentially flat year over year, at about 2.08 million.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/4413744\/byron-york-trump-focus-economy-midterm-elections\/\">Byron York says Trump should focus on the economy ahead of midterm elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4408994\/broad-economic-implications-maduro-ouster-venezuela\/\">Economic implications of Maduro ouster in Venezuela are broad and deep<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/4412351\/tariffs-sink-canadian-couple-e-commerce-operation\/\">Tariffs sink Canadian couples&#8217; long-running e-commerce operation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Douglas White, an economics instructor and director of LSU Shreveport&rsquo;s Center for Business and Economic Research, said the latest figures fit a broader pattern.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-backs-principal-who-punished-first-grader-over-any-life-matters-drawing\/\" title=\"Judge Backs Principal Who Punished First Grader Over &#039;Any Life&#039; Matters Drawing\">phrase &#038;lsquo<\/a>;muddling through&rsquo; &ndash;&nbsp;that there doesn&rsquo;t seem to be strong growth, but there also doesn&rsquo;t seem to be any kind of real contraction going on,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been bouncing between 4% and 5% &hellip; for the last, probably, 18 months or so.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana&rsquo;s unemployment rate dipped to nearly 3% in late 2022, a level that most economists viewed as unsustainable, he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The November state-by-state report was released after the federal government shutdown last fall delayed publication of October data. The November report emphasized over-the-year comparisons rather than the typical month-to-month change.<\/p>\n<p>Economic indicators beyond employment were stronger. Louisiana&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >real gross domestic product rose<\/a> at a 4% annual rate in the second quarter of 2025, above the U.S. average, while personal income grew at a 6.8% annual rate, also outpacing the nation.<\/p>\n<p>The growth preceded a string of big-ticket announcements, including Meta&rsquo;s $10 billion data center in Richland Parish, Hut 8&rsquo;s planned $10 billion AI data center campus in West Feliciana Parish, Woodside Energy&rsquo;s $17.5 billion final investment decision for its liquefied natural gas facility and Hyundai Steel&rsquo;s nearly $6 billion mill in Ascension Parish.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4412121\/trump-venezuela-midterm-pivot-economy\/\">BYRON YORK: TRUMP, VENEZUELA, AND THE MIDTERM PIVOT TO THE ECONOMY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Projects that generate headlines don&rsquo;t always translate immediately into broad-based labor-market shifts, White said. But Louisiana&rsquo;s labor force has grown over the year without the unemployment rate rising, suggesting more people are working rather than leaving the job market.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing maybe people who weren&rsquo;t in the labor force moving into the labor force,&rdquo; White said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Louisiana job market &#8216;muddling through&#8217;, says expert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2869,"featured_media":2532393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP24247653025958.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51942,5731,60277,36205,70558],"class_list":["post-2532392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-economic-outlook","tag-employment","tag-jobs-data","tag-labor-market","tag-louisiana-economy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP24247653025958.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2532392"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2532396,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532392\/revisions\/2532396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2532393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2532392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2532392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2532392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}