L’Observateur / October 18, 2000

BATON ROUGE – Unemployment continued its plunge in the River Parishes during August, according to statistics just released by the Louisiana Department of Labor Secretary Garey Forster.

“As has been true for many months now, the lower parish rates were spread out across the state,” Forster said.

In St. John the Baptist Parish the jobless rate fell from 9.0 to 8.6 percentbetween July and August, still higher than the August 1999 mark of 7.0percent.

In St. Charles Parish, unemployment improved from 6.4 to 6.1 percent,above the 4,9 percent mark for August 1999.

In St. James Parish unemployment dropped from 11.2 to 10.5 percent,dropping below the August 1999 mark of 11.0 percent. However, it remainsthe highest in the New Orleans metro area.

In the New Orleans metro area, including Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St.

Bernard and St. Tammany parishes, the lowest jobless rate during August2000 was 3.5 percent in St. Tammany, closely followed by Jefferson Parish’s3.9 percent.The lowest jobless rate in Louisiana for August 2000 was marked in Lincoln Parish, which enjoyed a 2.8 percent mark. East Carroll Parish had the highestunemployment rate, with 15.5 percent. The statewide seasonally-adjusted rate for August 2000 was 4.7 percent,Forster said, up from the previous month’s 4.5 percent, but still below the4.9 percent rate from one year ago.

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