Louisiana jobless rate dips in July, but payrolls also fall

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana’s job market posted mixed results in July despite a decrease in the unemployment rate.

The jobless rate dipped to 5.3 percent in July from 5.4 percent in June, but only because more people left the labor force than lost jobs. Louisiana’s jobless rate was 6.2 percent a year ago.

A total of 110,000 Louisianans were jobless, down from 115,000 in July.

Louisiana’s jobless rate tied for third-highest among states, with Alaska worst at 7 percent. The U.S. rate fell to 4.3 percent in July from June’s 4.4 percent.

The separate payroll survey gave back some gains from the last two months, falling to 1.98 million in Louisiana. That’s still above last July’s 1.97 million.

The U.S. Labor Department released figures Friday, adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes.

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This story has been corrected to fix transposed months in the second paragraph.