La. Jobless Rate Drops For Third Month In A Row

Louisiana's unemployment rate fell for the third straight month in November, hitting 6.3 percent as the state's job market continued its recovery from a slowdown in 2013's first half.

A separate survey shows payrolls were flat from October to November.

Both sets of figures — adjusted to cancel out normal seasonal changes — were released Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Louisiana's unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in October. The state's jobless rate was 5.7 percent in November 2012, before six months of unemployment increases that ended in June.

There were 131,000 unemployed Louisianans in November, down from 136,000 in October, but above 120,000 in November 2012.

State nonfarm payrolls set an all-time high for the fourth straight month, but rose by only 400 people from October.