According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 407,000 Louisiana workers quit their jobs in the first six months of this year. A record 760,000 Louisianans left their job last year so the Bayou State is on pace to break that record. Economist Loren Scott says many Louisiana workers are leaving their job for better pay.
“Right now the Louisiana economy is growing very smartly. I don’t think that’s what the problem is. I think it’s just a reflection of how tight the job market is and switching for higher wage rates,” said Scott.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics say an estimated 114-thousand workers were hired in June and 602-thousand have been hired for the year. Scott is putting together his latest economic forecast and he’s seeing wages going up.
“They start responding by raising wage rates. When they start raising wage rates they start jumping from job to job, and I think that’s a lot of what’s going on here,” said Scott.
And according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the state’s unemployment rate in July was 3.5 percent, the lowest ever for a July.
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