More jobs available than people collecting unemployment in St. Charles Parish

Corey Faucheux, the St. Charles Parish director of economic development and tourism, said that his office has been receiving constant feedback from local business owners regarding problems finding people to work.

That problem is no more clearly illustrated than in this fact – there are more jobs currently available in St. Charles Parish than there are people collecting unemployment.

“That is one of the most widely discussed issues impacting businesses of all sizes,” Faucheux said. “However, it is especially challenging for our smaller, locally-owned businesses and restaurateurs.”

The St. Charles Parish unemployment rate for May was 6.1%, bringing the year-to-date average to 6.3%.

“This compares to 13.6% in May of 2020 and 3.7% in 2019,” Faucheux said. “There were approximately 440 local residents continuing to collect unemployment insurance benefits in May. That number appears to be fairly constant since the first of the year. According to the La. Workforce Commission, there are over 500 job vacancies posted in St. Charles Parish.”

Faucheaux said June’s numbers were even higher than those in May. The June 2021 unemployment rate for St. Charles Parish was 6.8%. The June 2020 figure was 10.5%  and the parish’s unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2019.

As of July 17 there were 429 residents collecting unemployment, with new claims being reported weekly.

“The estimated labor participation rate is down nearly 5% compared to 2019,” Faucheux said, adding that pre-COVID the parish was experiencing historically low unemployment numbers. “Business activity has mostly recovered except for the hospitality industry – restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions – and the labor market.”

 

About Monique Roth 919 Articles
Roth has both her undergraduate and graduate degree in journalism, which she has utilized in the past as an instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University and a reporter at various newspapers and online publications. She grew up in LaPlace, where she currently resides with her husband and three daughters.

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