BusinessReport
The Capital Region is just 9,000 jobs shy of pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest economic indicator report from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
“The Capital Region reflects the national trend of a strong labor market for job seekers, with 13,000 residents looking for work and more than 31,000 open jobs locally, which can pose difficulties for businesses working to fill positions,” says Andrew Fitzgerald, senior vice president of business intelligence for BRAC, in a prepared statement.
Many industries are performing well despite hiring difficulties, Fitzgerald says. The hotel sector continues to exceed pre-pandemic revenues on a weekly basis, and the professional services sector has surpassed pre-pandemic employment.
Key findings from this month’s dashboard include:
- Baton Rouge’s 3.1% unemployment rate in April is tied for the lowest on record.
- After adding 400 jobs in April, the Capital Region remains 9,000 jobs shy of pre-pandemic nonfarm job levels.
- The Leisure and Hospitality industry added 900 jobs this month, bouncing back from March job losses.
- Hotel occupancy and revenues remain above pre-pandemic levels.
- Four of our seven peer metros have more jobs now than they did prior to the pandemic.
- Baton Rouge hit record high employment in April while nonfarm jobs remain about 2% below pre-pandemic levels. See the report.