MONROE, La. – The Monroe area’s labor force has increased by some 250 people and the number of employed has grown by 4,705 since 2010, the Louisiana Workforce Commission says.
That was one of the findings in the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s workforce report in December 2020, in which the commission compared workforce changes in 2020 to those in recent years.
“In spite of COVID-19 and the different emergencies we’ve had, our workforce is actually leading the state in recovery,” said Sue Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.
The period of growth in the labor force and number of employed was from January 2010 to August 2020.
“The Monroe (area) was hit hard during the Great Recession (in 2008) with monthly unemployment rates exceeding 10 percent as recently as 2013 before getting struck by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020,” stated the commission’s Louisiana Workforce At A Glance for December 2020 report.
The December 2020 estimate is 80,400 jobs. The region added 600 jobs over the month and added 1,600 jobs over the year.
Manufacturing lost 600 jobs over the year.
Trade, transportation, and utilities gained 500 jobs over the month and gained 2,400 jobs over the year, with retail trade adding 2,500 jobs from last December.
Education and health services lost 300 jobs over the year.
