Unemployment Rate Going Up In Louisiana

For the third month in a row Louisiana's unemployment rate rose in the month of March, as fewer people reported to the labor department that they had found work.

The Friday report came from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it is different from a separate survey showing that Louisiana payroll numbers went up.

The jobless rate went to 6.2 percent in February which is still below the 6.8 percent rate that was recorded for March of last year.

The number of people unemployed in Louisiana rose by almost 3,000 from February to above 129,000 in March which is below the nearly 143,00 in March 2012.

The separate BLS survey of payrolls shows nonfarm employees rose by about 3,000 in February, climbing nearly 25,000 above year-ago levels.