Construction job opportunities bringing down unemployment rates in La.

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Unemployment rates in Louisiana are going down, and one of the biggest job markets contributing to those numbers is construction.

“It’s a steady growth industry in the state, in the Baton Rouge region, and produces a multitude of job opportunities for people,” Louisiana Workforce Commission Director of Research and Economic Analysis Emily DiPalma said.

From June of last year until now, over 8,500 people have found jobs in construction in the state, according to the LWC.

While some road construction can be a hassle to get around, DiPalma says these projects benefit everyone in the long run.

“Maybe all of us aren’t feeling the complete benefit of those right now or are feeling the headache, but those that are employed working on those systems for us, they’re giving back into that local economy while it’s happening now, and then when the job’s finished, we all benefit from it as well,” DiPalma said.

DiPalma says more and more construction positions and projects are calling for skilled laborers.

“In our June data, for all of our industries, construction is leading the growth that occurred in employment over the month, gaining about 800 jobs over the month,” DiPalma said. “Right now, it’s benefiting those that are able to advantage of that, use their skills to gain that employment. And, ideally, those would be people who also live and work in Louisiana that take those jobs.”

A job in construction doesn’t just include laborers and electricians. In fact, the field has over 300 different occupation types.

“It stems out to cooks, auditors and accountants, office jobs, things of that. So, when we see that employment growth, it’s not just our construction laborers. We have other opportunities within that industry,” DiPalma said.

Once a project ends, construction workers have the opportunity to move around the state to different jobs.

“There are more opportunities for Louisiana workers versus us providing opportunities for workers coming into Louisiana, but their home base is somewhere else. So, the emphasis would still be we want to grow those skills and get people into those occupations in construction here because they can benefit from them,” DiPalma added.

As summer break is coming to an end, the LWC also urges juniors and seniors heading back to high school to consider options for starting their career beyond the typical four-year degree as more opportunities for skilled labor open up.

The LWC also has an online quiz called “My Life. My Way.” that helps connect students with what career path would be the best fit for them based on their interests and needs. If you are interested, click here.

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