Latest news with #LeadersforaBetterLouisiana
American Press
23-04-2025
- Business
- American Press
Louisiana reaches post-pandemic jobs milestone, but economic gaps remain
(Special to the American Press) By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square Louisiana has finally regained all the jobs it lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from Leaders for a Better Louisiana. The group's First Quarter 2025 Economic Dashboard presents a mixed picture. While the state has turned a corner on pandemic-era job losses and reversed a years-long population decline, it still trails much of the South in long-term economic performance. 'This is a milestone for economic recovery — but also a call to action,' said Adam Knapp, CEO of the nonprofit Leaders for a Better Louisiana. 'We're no longer losing ground, but we've got a long way to go.' According to the report, Louisiana's job base grew by 1.1% over the past year and more than 2% over the last two years. Eight of the state's 10 metro regions saw job gains, with Lafayette and New Orleans leading the pack. Baton Rouge added 0.8% more jobs over the last year, while Shreveport saw a 1.1% increase and Lake Charles grew by 0.7%. The rebound comes as Louisiana's population grew in 2024, reversing several years of outmigration. Still, the state continues to lag behind its southern neighbors on several metrics. Since 2018, Louisiana is the only southern state to have experienced a net job loss — down 1% over that period. Other southern states have surged ahead in both job creation and the rate of new business formation. The state's wage growth has also been modest compared to its peers. Average weekly wages rose 19% over the past four years, hitting $1,156 in the third quarter of 2024. But that increase is just shy of the 20% average across the South. Sector-by-sector, the report shows uneven growth. Health care and private education added the most jobs—up 11,800 over the past year—followed by government (plus-7,000), construction (plus-3,900), and professional and business services (plus-2,700). Trade, transportation, and utilities added 2,400 jobs. But the leisure and hospitality sector shed 5,200 jobs, financial activities dropped by 2,900, and manufacturing lost 1,200 positions. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction have taken a bigger hit, with employment down 16% since 2018. Construction jobs have fallen 10% over that period, even as manufacturing jobs inched up 4%.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Report: Louisiana drivers lose $9.9 billion yearly from poor roads, traffic
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A new report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, reveals that Louisiana drivers lose $9.9 billion each year due to deteriorating roads, aging bridges, traffic congestion and safety hazards. According to TRIP, it costs Baton Rouge drivers an average of $3,530 each year. This number includes vehicle wear and tear costs, fuel wasted in traffic costs and crash expenses linked to road design or condition. The report titled 'Keeping Louisiana Mobile: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Pelican State' highlights a transportation network in urgent need of repair: More than half of Louisiana's major roads are in bad shape. In Baton Rouge, 60% of roads are rated poor or mediocre. Almost one in five bridges in Baton Rouge is in poor condition. Baton Rouge drivers spend 64 hours a year stuck in traffic, wasting time and fuel. Ninety-four people die each year in local crashes, and bad road conditions may be a factor in some of them. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry reveals insurance reform plan Statewide, traffic crashes killed over 4,200 people from 2019 to 2023. Louisiana also has one of the highest traffic death rates in the country, according to the report. Construction costs make it hard for the state to fix these problems, the report said. Louisiana will get $4.8 billion from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) over five years. But TRIP said this investment is still not enough. 'Leaders across Louisiana should be concerned about the poor condition of infrastructure across our state and how it weakens our economic development and quality of life,' Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, said. 'We encourage elected officials to place a high sense of urgency on investing in the state's roads, bridges, and multimodal infrastructure.' The state's transportation system is vital to Louisiana's economy. In 2023 alone, 1.4 billion tons of freight worth $591 billion moved across the state. That number is expected to increase by 75% in weight and 107% in value by 2050, according to TRIP. 5 takeaways from the Trump tariff drama Will Trump attend the Indy 500? 'Maybe this year' NASCAR drivers visit White House The Masters ends the 9-month wait for golf's most anticipated major Sam's Club plans to open 15 new locations a year, CEO says Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leaders of ‘Better Louisiana' civic group will focus on education, insurance crisis
(Wesley Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) A new civic organization, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, will focus on education, the property insurance crisis and economic development in the upcoming legislative session that starts in April. The Committee of 100 for Louisiana, founded in 1992, and the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL), which originated in 1962, have combined to become Leaders for a Better Louisiana – or Better Louisiana for short. Committee of 100's former leader Adam Knapp transitioned to be Better Louisiana's CEO and CABL's former executive director, Barry Erwin, is the organization's chief policy officer. They spoke at the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday. The state has made gains in education policy, but Erwin said young children entering kindergarten are behind students starting school in other states. Better Louisiana will stress that the state needs to continue to invest in early childhood education in order to improve kindergartners readiness. He noted the state is trending in the right direction when it comes to third-grade reading proficiency rates, high school graduation rates and high school students earning industry credentials or college credits. Knapp said the state's economic development agency also needs work, even though Better Louisiana has already seen improvements under Gov. Jeff Landry. Better Louisiana will push the state to invest more in site development, with the state building out infrastructure for specific properties where they hope to attract business. Other states have done a lot more site development than Louisiana has in recent years, Knapp said. Knapp also said Better Louisiana hopes to start shaping the state's insurance crisis as an economic development issue. Business and industry leaders said the high rates of insurance are making it more difficult to attract projects to Louisiana. The new organization will also push legislators and Landry to pass new laws to bring down insurance rates. It is supportive of Republican Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple's approach, which has been supported by insurance companies. Knapp and Erwin said Better Louisiana will also pay attention to government accountability and transparency policies, which had previously been a focus of CABL. These include law changes that could weaken the state's ethics laws or the public ability to inspect government operations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
