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Payroll Employment
Payroll Employment Momentum
Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Claims
Payroll Employment
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the Sixth District states lost a net 85,100 jobs in May from a month earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis. Roughly 70 percent of this decline occurred in Florida. The state shed 61,000 jobs in May after adding 400 jobs in April. Florida's job losses were concentrated in the leisure and hospitality, professional and business, and education and health sectors. The construction sector, however, added jobs for the first time in three years. Job losses were widespread throughout the rest of the District. The nation as a whole lost 345,000 jobs in May.
April employment figures for the District were revised downward by 3,500 to –48,300.
| M/M absolute change | Y/Y % change | |||
| May 2009 |
April 2009 |
May 2009 |
April 2009 |
|
| AL | –2,700 | –7,300 | –4.7 | –4.6 |
| FL | –61,000 | 400 | –5.3 | –4.9 |
| GA | –15,800 | –21,900 | –5.1 | –4.8 |
| LA | –2,100 | –6,500 | –0.7 | –0.4 |
| MS | –1,300 | 400 | –3.3 | –3.3 |
| TN | –2,200 | –13,400 | –4.7 | –4.7 |
| District | –85,100 | –48,300 | –4.6 | –4.3 |
| US | –345,000 | –504,000 | –3.9 | –3.7 |
Payroll Employment Momentum
Employment momentum deteriorated further for Louisiana in May with the state moving further down into Quadrant 3 and toward the position of most other District states. Short-term employment growth improved in Alabama and Mississippi as both states moved up toward Quadrant 4. Improvements in short-term employment growth reflect a decline in the pace of job losses in recent months. Long-term employment growth deteriorated slightly in Florida. Employment momentum held fairly steady for the remaining District states and the United States (less the Sixth District states).
Unemployment Rate
The overall unemployment rate for the Sixth District states increased to 9.8 percent in May, above the national rate of 9.4 percent (on a seasonally adjusted basis).
| May 2009 |
April 2009 |
|
| AL | 9.8 | 9.0 |
| FL | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| GA | 9.7 | 9.2 |
| LA | 6.6 | 6.2 |
| MS | 9.6 | 9.1 |
| TN | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| District | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| US | 9.4 | 8.9 |
Unemployment Claims
Average weekly initial claims continued their downward trend in May for most parts of the District, reflecting a decline in the pace of layoffs. Georgia had an uptick in claims related to the auto industry in early May, but claims have declined since then. Although initial claims have come down from their recessionary peaks, the current levels still reflect a weak labor market. Average weekly continuing claims remained elevated in all District states but have declined from their peaks in all states except Louisiana.
