by Eric Peterson, Director of Policy During the holiday season, Louisianans have more on their mind than the latest state economic reports. Yet as we enter the New Year, it’s important to understand where our state’s economy stands. Two reports, one from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the other from the Bureau of...

As the Louisiana legislature debates adding checks and balances to the state’s emergency powers, reports from both the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are painting a picture of just how economically damaging the state’s shutdown has been. Let’s start with the worst news. The BEA reported Louisiana’s economy shrank...

Current methods for collecting economic data causes a disconnect between what people are actually feeling in their lives and the numbers being released to the public. That’s why prior to this week, we knew that COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns have made large impacts on the American economy, but we didn’t know the full scope of...

Due to the damage caused by COVID-19 and government shutdowns, it’s been clear that no state was going to experience any economic growth through the first half of the year. Instead, the major question has revolved around which states’ economies would be hit the hardest. Well the first quarter results are in, and the numbers...

Just in time for the Independence Day Holiday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released some good news for the American people. The national unemployment rate fell 2.2 percent, leading to a total of 11.1 percent in June. Most notably, an astounding 4.8 million Americans who were temporarily laid off are now back in the workforce....

As economic news continues to focus on the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) recently released report further underscored Louisiana’s pre-coronavirus economic struggles. In the final quarter of 2019, the BEA report on state Gross Domestic Products (GDP) showed the Louisiana economy grew an anemic 1.1 percent, ranking 43rd in...