LSU is set to award a record 4,000 plus degrees during graduation ceremonies today and tomorrow. So how does the job market look?
LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says grads with in-demand degrees are likely to do well as the need for skilled workers increases.
“If you are in engineering, if you are in the sciences, if you are in finance, economics, business, I think for those people it is going to be particularly good.”
Louisiana has seen 13 straight months of job gains, according to the latest figures from the Workforce Commission.
Scott says grads looking to stay home are getting a bit of a mixed bag. If you’re from the Houma area, or central and northern Louisiana, you could have trouble getting a desirable gig, but there’s a few markets that look promising in the south.
“If you are in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and New Orleans, those markets are still really good right now, and the prospects are getting better and better. There’s some very big projects that are going to be announced.”
Shreveport alone lost 1,700 jobs over the last year.
But as strong as Louisiana’s recent growth has been, the specter of a booming Texas still lingers over Bayou State grads. Grads can grab high paying Texas jobs, live in bustling Texas cities, and still live close enough to see the family on the weekend. Scott says it’s a tempting offer…
“The tricky thing is is that Texas is one of the hottest job markets in the United States right now. A lot of firms as going to that state, and because a lot more firms are going there, there’s going to be a lot more jobs available.”
Keeping locals from fleeing the state post-graduation has been a top goal of the Edwards Administration.
