When facing difficult financial circumstances, Louisiana families take the steps they need to rein in their spending and plan responsibly for future expenses. This is not the case when it comes to how our state currently approaches budgeting. Fortunately, Louisianans Constitutional Amendment 4, is on the Nov. 3 ballot, is offering an opportunity for Louisianans…
As the Louisiana legislature debates adding checks and balances to the state’s emergency powers, reports from both the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are painting a picture of just how economically damaging the state’s shutdown has been. Let’s start with the worst news. The BEA reported Louisiana’s economy shrank…
The most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed the U.S. economy is about halfway to recovery. Meanwhile, Louisiana job numbers are still falling well behind the rest of the nation. Overall, the report wasn’t surprising, as it revealed employment rose by 1.4 million in the month of August while the unemployment…
Today, Governor John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana will begin moving into Phase 3 of the state’s economic restrictions on Friday. Pelican Institute CEO Daniel Erspamer released the following statement in response to this decision: “Gov. Edwards’ announcement today is a step in the right direction to get Louisiana working. After months of urging Louisiana leaders to…
Last week saw the release of some of best economic news for the state of Louisiana in a long time. According to the Department of Labor’s data for the week ending August 8, the number of Louisianans on unemployment insurance decreased by more than 53,000. This comes on the heels of a 27,000-person decrease during…
Over the last few weeks, a trend has emerged showing less Louisianans filing for unemployment than previous weeks. This week saw this pattern continue, with just under 10,000 people filing for unemployment, a decrease of almost 3,500 from the previous week. This was, once again, a new low since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The number…
Last week’s economic news presented a sobering picture of the damage caused by the lockdowns in response to COVID-19. U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by more than nine percent, which means all of the nation’s economic growth since the end of 2014 was completely wiped out. In some better news, however, last week’s decrease…
Current methods for collecting economic data causes a disconnect between what people are actually feeling in their lives and the numbers being released to the public. That’s why prior to this week, we knew that COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns have made large impacts on the American economy, but we didn’t know the full scope of…
After faint signs of hope of economic recovery in recent weeks, the decision to shut down bars for the second time seems to be taking a toll on Louisianans’ livelihoods. Governor John Bel Edwards issued the order to close all bars in the state on July 13. The Department of Labor released its latest unemployment data Thursday, and the…
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest state-by-state jobs numbers, which featured some overall good news for Louisiana. The state’s June unemployment rate dropped by 4.5 percent, dipping under 10 percent for the first time in months. While this headline shows some improvement in Louisiana’s economic situation, there are reasons to take…