The Data Center, based in New Orleans, says job growth in Louisiana since 2015 has increased by less than 1 percent, well below the U.S. average of 11.5 percent, reports Louisiana Radio Network.
Dr. Alex Kolker, who contributed to the report, says Louisiana’s economy has not been the same since the oil price crash of 2014. Kolker says the state’s energy employment profile has moved away from offshore drilling jobs to short-term construction booms tied to LNG and petrochemical projects.
While oil and gas still provide comparatively high-paying, middle-skill jobs, he says it’s not an industry that Louisiana can rely on to grow its employment numbers. Read more.
