A new report shows Louisiana has more jobs than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to the First Quarter 2025 Economic Dashboard by Leaders for a Better Louisiana. CEO Adam Knapp says the report notes a 1.1-percent increase in jobs over the past year and a 2.2-percent rise over two years, with 41-hundred more jobs than in February 2020.
“We’re finally back into new territory of growth, not just getting back what we lost,” Knapp said.
Knapp says they have seen a growth in jobs in healthcare, education, and government, but slower expansion in high growth sectors like logistics, finance and technology.
Wages have risen 19% in four years, slightly below the Southern average. Better Louisiana calls this a major milestone, though Knapp stresses that the state still trails most Southern states in long-term job growth.
“That to me is the biggest part of what the state needs to be doing, is have a clear game plan of the sectors that are going to be driving the greatest growth and how to go after those.”
Knapp says the state has also reversed years of population decline, buoyed by a surge in international migration. He attributes this to Louisiana’s lower cost of living.
“This might be a lower cost place to live in many different situations where you have more opportunity and for the amount of your earnings your dollar spends further.”
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