Compared to peer metros, Baton Rouge sees highest rate of job growth
Baton Rouge, LA (October 13, 2022) – The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today released its monthly economic indicator dashboard that examines and analyzes the state of the regional economy. To download this month’s indicator dashboard directly, click here.
“Even before the pandemic, there was significant demand for healthcare workers, and even now the demand persists. Three of the top ten posted jobs in the Capital Region are health-related, and healthcare is the industry with the second highest number of job postings – nearly 2,300 were posted in September alone,” said Andrew Fitzgerald, senior vice president of business intelligence for BRAC. “The good news is that local higher education institutions appear to be meeting the moment; for example, Baton Rouge Community College currently has nearly 2,800 students studying in the field of health services, most of them in some sort of nursing. As a community, we should try to replicate this alignment between higher education and other high-demand fields.”
Key findings from this month’s dashboard include:
- Baton Rouge added 5,200 jobs in August; jobs are up 10,000 year-over-year;
- Big job gains this month were driven by the Government and Education & Healthcare sectors;
- Compared to peer metros, Baton Rouge has had the highest rate of job growth over the last two months;
- The Capital Region’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4% this month, and it’s been below 4% for much of the past year;
- Reduced workplace travel in Baton Rouge aligns with the national average; and,
- At Baton Rouge Community College, healthcare-related fields of study have higher enrollment than other programs.
BRAC’s Economic Indicator Dashboard looks at several data points to illustrate the economy’s current state. With data from a number of regional stakeholders, the dashboard is the most real-time analysis of the Baton Rouge metro economy available.
BRAC’s business intelligence team provides custom research services on a competitive fee-for-service basis, including labor market research, economic impact modeling, demographic and economic data, and general research and consulting. Interested businesses may contact Senior Vice President of Business Intelligence Andrew Fitzgerald at andrew@brac.org.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) is an aggressively ambitious regional economic development organization with a bias for action. BRAC seeks to push Baton Rouge beyond the status quo, unleash its potential, and support a vibrant business community that believes the finish line does not exist. BRAC seeks to accelerate economic opportunity in the Baton Rouge Area, for everyone, through BRING IT! Baton Rouge, its five-year, regional strategic plan. Learn more about BRAC at brac.org.
Original source can be found here.
