NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's unemployment rate hit 5 percent in August, worsening for the fifth straight month.
The state's jobless rate rose from 4.9 percent in July and was above August 2017's level, also 4.9 percent.
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For the third month in a row, Louisiana saw the number of people with a job declined faster than a shrinking workforce, pushing the number of unemployed people up to nearly 107,000.
The separate employer payroll survey — many economists' top labor market indicator — was flat at 1.99 million. Payrolls remain 16,000 above year-ago levels, thanks to gains in early 2018.
July's U.S. unemployment was level from July to August at 3.9 percent. Louisiana has the third-highest jobless rate among states.
