Metro New Orleans leads nation in job growth numbers and wages

[fla_tiger]

The suburban parishes of Jefferson and St Tammany experienced the highest job growth numbers gain of any large county or parish in the nation.

While employment numbers are understandably down in Orleans Parish, the wage growth was number 2 nationally.

The future looks very promising with low estimates of 50,000 new jobs over the next five years.

The link to the story in todays TP:
http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf?/base/money-3/117661674683230.xml&coll=1

[VivaLFuego]

This is year over year. I think it's meaningless to compare it to other cities, because of that whole Katrina incident. However, it is certainly great news that NOLA appears to be seeing at least some level of recovery.

[Evergrey]

the per capita wage growth is probably due to low-income workers being disproportionately dislocated from the region... while metro NOLA still has a need for employees in low-wage sectors... the loss of hundreds of thousands of residents has reduced "population-dependent" sectors of the regional economy... which is largely low-wage (retail, transportaiton, warehouseing, etc.)

just my speculation

[LMich]

This shouldn't be a surprise. With such a volatile event, it only takes a little to drastically boost or bust percentages.

[Evergrey]

This shouldn't be a surprise. With such a volatile event, it only takes a little to drastically boost or bust percentages.

Indeed...

from 2004-2005 (when Katrina hit)... NO's per capita personal income dropped by a staggering 33%... so being the nationa's leader in PCPI growth the next year is no suprise...

http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/lapi/2006/images/mpi0906b.gif