State sees 1.48 percent uptick in employment.
Louisiana Adds 29,000 Jobs in 2014
About 29,000 jobs were created in Louisiana during 2014, a 1.48 percent increase. However, the unemployment rose to 6.2 percent as of October in Louisiana, which was only one of seven states that saw a rise.
North Dakota, fueled by an oil and gas boom, led the nation in percentage of job growth, adding 24,000 new jobs, a 5.42 percent improvement in unemployment, according to a Stateline analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released in December. Texas led in number of jobs created, at 458,000. More than a dozen states added at least 50,000 jobs last year.
See which industries contributed to the gains here.
Overall, the national increase in employment—almost every state added jobs—was reflected in NFIB’s most recent Small Business Optimism Index, released in January and based on December data. Up 2.3 percentage points to 100.4, the index is finally approaching pre-Great Recession levels, says Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist.
“The Index showed strength in November but most of the gains were confined to just two categories,” Dunkelberg says. “The December Index shows much broader strength led by a significant increase in the number of owners who expect higher sales. This could be a breakout for small business. There’s no question that small business owners are feeling better about the economy. If they continue to feel that way 2015 could be a very good year.”
Did you expand your small business in 2014? Do you expect 2015 to be a better or worse year for your firm? Tell us why in the comments section below.
