Local jobless rate drops to 10 percent

Iberville's unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in November, according to the latest report from the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

The figure is two-tenths lower than September's rate and half a percent lower than it was in November 2010, but the parish still lags the nation, state and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Workforce Commission listed the national rate at 8.2 percent, down from 8.5 percent in October and from 9.3 in November 2010; the state rate at 6.5 percent, down from 7.1 percent in October and 7.3 percent in the previous November, and the rate for the nine-parish Baton Rouge MSA at 6.2 percent, down from 6.8 in October and 6.9 in November 2010.

Iberville had the second highest unemployment rate in the Baton Rouge area, well behind St. Helena Parish, where the jobless rate was 12.2 percent.

The two were among eight Louisiana Parishes continuing to have double-digit unemployment, the worst in East Carroll Parish, which had a 13.8 percent rate.

Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes had the lowest at 4.5 percent.

Last month, Iberville had 10,975 employed workers and 1,225 unemployed. That is compared to October, when there were 10,968 employed and 1,247 unemployed, and to November 2010, when the workforce was larger and there were 11,208 in jobs and 1,321 unemployed.