Louisiana has more than 2 job openings for every unemployed person

William Taylor Potter, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·2 min read
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Around 70,000 Louisiana workers quit in July – marking the first time in more than a decade that the state had at least 70,000 workers quit in consecutive months, new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

Through July, around 444,000 workers across the state have voluntarily left their jobs, which is around 63,000 more than the state had at the same time last year. The state’s quit numbers are up 16.5% compared to 2021.

The state, like others across the nation, has seen a rash of workers quit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. But the quitting has accelerated in 2022, with the state already seeing more quits through seven months than the state did in the entirety of 2012 and 2013.

Since July 2021, Louisiana had the 11th-largest percent increase of quitting workers of all U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

At the same time, the state has set a new record-low for its unemployment rate in three consecutive months, falling to 3.5% in August. According to job posting website, ZipRecruiter, the state has more than two jobs per unemployed person – the highest ratio in the state’s history.

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With quitting at a historic level in the state, the number of firings and layoffs continues to be among the lowest levels in Louisiana’s history. Around 19,000 were removed from their jobs involuntarily during July 2022, which is about on par with the rest of 2022.

This year, around 139,000 total workers have been laid off or fired, which is down around 4.1% from the same point last year.

Total separations – which combines involuntary and voluntary separations – remain up significantly compared to 2021, with around 57,000 additional separations.

Alongside the high separation rate, Louisiana has seen a significant increase in the total number of available jobs. The state has recorded more than 1,000 job openings through July. It’s the first time there have been more than 1,000 jobs this early in the year.

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Job openings are up around 36.3% compared to 2021. Only four states have seen their job openings increase faster than Louisiana since July 2021: Tennessee, California and Illinois.

Hirings are also up across the state, which is to be expected when put alongside the historic number of job openings and separations. The state had 96,000 hires in July, giving it around 671,000 for the year. Hirings are up 11.3% from the same period in 2021.

Louisiana ranked 11th among U.S. states for hiring growth since July 2021 with 2.1%.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Around 140,000 Louisiana workers quit in June and July