Local jobless rate increases again

After dropping to 10 percent in November, Iberville Parish's unemployment rate increased to 10.9 percent in December, according to the latest report from the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

The latest rate was higher also than the 10.5 percent posted here in December 2010, when there were 237 more workers in the labor force.

The local rate remains substantially higher than the nation's 8.3 percent, the state's 6.4 percent and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area's 6.5 percent.

Iberville had the second highest jobless rate of the nine parishes in the Baton Rouge MSA. Only St. Helena Parish, at 12.1 percent had a higher rate. Ascension Parish had the lowest rate, at 5.8 percent.

Statewide, Iberville was one of nine parishes with double-digit unemployment. East Carroll Parish had the highest rate, at 15.2 percent. Lafourche Parish had the low of 4.2 percent.

In December, Iberville had 10,867 employed workers and 1,325 unemployed. That is compared to 11,014 employed and 1,224 employed in November, and to 11,109 employed and 1,310 unemployed in December?