HAMMOND--There are 877 job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa Parish on July 19, down from May when 1,505 job openings were advertised online, the Louisiana Workforce Commission announced this week.

The good news: average wages in Tangi increased by about $3,000 a year during six months in 2011.

The bad news: unemployment in Tangi is 8.4%, up from 7.7% percent on June 5.

Today's report is a useful roadmap for 4,496 unemployed individuals who may be seeking work in Tangipahoa in July.

And it's a useful economic barometer for thousands of employers, recruiters and company owners.

Today’s report shows there are nearly 3 unemployed candidates for every advertised opening in Tangipahoa.

Tangipahoa average wages increased according to the latest information from 2011. The average weekly wage for Tangipahoa in the third quarter, 2011 was $708/week, up from $641/week in the first quarter. This would be equivalent to $17.70 per hour or $36,816 per year, assuming a 40-hour week worked the year around. Stats show an increase on average of about $3,000/year in six months last year, the latest available. Compare that the the state's highest average weekly wage of $1,118/week in St. James Parish.

The report shows how tough the job hunt can be in Tangipahoa. It’s even tougher in St. Helena Parish, which leads Louisiana in the highest ratio of unemployed people per job opening at 19 unemployed persons for every advertised opening.

A grim job picture in St. Helena

--St. Helena is the 4th highest parish in unemployment with 11.7 in May percent, unchanged since April.

--There were 520 persons unemployed in St. Helena on July 19.

--On July 19, there were 10 jobs advertised in St. Helena vs. 27 advertised in May.

Companies advertising job positions in St. Helena in July are Dollar General Corporation (3 jobs), Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (2), First Guaranty Bank (1), Greif, Inc. (1) and Lawrence Merchandising (1).

In Tangi, 109 candidates for office clerks for 1 open job

The following is a list of occupations with the highest ratio of potential candidates in the workforce system that were looking for work to job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa on July 19 including how many candidates in the workforce system were looking for work in that occupation and how many jobs were available in that occupation: 

Office Clerks, General (Candidates: 191 - Jobs available: 1)

Stock Clerks- Stockroom, Warehouse, or Storage Yard (Candidates: 148 - Jobs: 2)

Construction Carpenters (Candidates: 61 - Jobs: 1)

Helpers--Production Workers (Candidates: 60 - Jobs: 1)

Personal and Home Care Aides (Candidates: 57 - Jobs: 1)

Construction Laborers (Candidates: 110 - Jobs: 2)

Accountants (Candidates: 45 - Jobs: 1)

Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters (Candidates: 44 - Jobs: 1)

Electricians (Candidates: 43 - Jobs: 1)

Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (Candidates: 122 - Jobs: 3)

North Oaks, Dollar General, Winn-Dixie advertise most jobs

The employers with the highest number of job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa on July 19 are:

North Oaks Health System (80, up from 56 openings June 5)

Dollar General Corporation (56)

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (48)

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (28)

Aaron's, Inc. (15)

AT&T (15)

Cameron (15)

McDonald's Corp. (12)

Army National Guard (12)

DHH-Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (12)

Retail, health care jobs are the most advertised in Tangi

The occupations with the highest job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa in July are:

Retail Trade (168)

Health Care and Social Assistance (103)

Public Administration (21)

Accommodation and Food Services (20)

Wholesale Trade (15)

Manufacturing (13)

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (11)

Information (9)

Administrative and Waste Services (8)

and Finance and Insurance (7).

Top advertised jobs in Tangi: nurses, customer reps, retail, food prep

The occupations with the highest job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa on July 19 are:

Registered Nurses (50 jobs)

Customer Service Representatives (36)

Retail Salespersons (36)

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (34)

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food (21)

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (17)

General and Operations Managers (15)

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (15)

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (14)

Cashiers (13).

Highest advertised salary: RNs ($54,300), machinists ($42,600)

The occupations from job openings advertised online with the highest paying mean (annual) wages in Tangipahoa in June were Registered Nurses ($54,270.00) and Machinists ($42,631.00), the latest stats available.

Most jobs advertised in Tangi require high school diploma

The most common minimum education requirement on job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa in July was a High School Diploma or Equivalent with 56% of the total specified. The second most common requirement was a No Minimum Education Requirement with 20% of the total specified. 752 jobs had no specific required education level specified.

Most jobs advertised in Tangi require 1 to 3 years experience

The most common minimum experience requirements on job openings advertised online in Tangipahoa was 1 Year to 2 Years with 80.95% of the total specified. The second most common requirement was 2 Years to 5 Years with 19.05% of the total specified. The state said 784 jobs had no specific required experience level specified.

Most job candidates in Tangi have 10+ years

The most common experience level of potential candidates in Tangipahoa was More Than 10 Years with 39% of the total specified. The second most common requirement was Less Than 1 year with 26% of the total specified.

53,477 working in Tangi, 4,496 unemployed

The total civilian labor force (not seasonally adjusted) for Tangipahoa in May, 2012 was 53,477, of which 48,697 were employed and 4,496 were unemployed. The unemployment rate was 8.4%, up from 7.7% percent on June 5.

Average Tangi wage increases to $708/week in 2011

The average weekly wage for Tangipahoa in the third quarter, 2011 was $708/week, up from $641/week in the first quarter. This would be equivalent to $17.70 per hour or $36,816 per year, assuming a 40-hour week worked the year around. Average wage in St. Helena was $650/week.

Most Tangi job candidates seek $20,000-$30,000/year

The most common desired salary of potential candidates in the system in Tangipahoa is $20,000 - $30,000 or more with 40.54% of the total specified. The second most common level is $35,000 - $45,000 or more with 19.33% of the total specified.

Tangipahoa population has grown 20% to 121,097 since 2000

The 2000 population of Tangipahoa was estimated at 100,588. The 2010 population of Tangipahoa was estimated at 121,097. This represents a 20.39 percent increase from 2000.

In Louisiana, jobless claims show decrease from previous week

BATON ROUGE - Initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending July 14, 2012, decreased to 3,675 from the previous week’s total of 3,960. Initial claims were below the comparable week ending July 16, 2011, figure of 4,398.

The four-week moving average of initial claims decreased to 3,681 from the previous week’s average of 3,714.

Continued unemployment insurance weeks claimed for the week ending July 14, 2012, increased to 36,268 from the previous week’s total of 35,461. Continued weeks claimed were below the comparable week ending July 16, 2011, figure of 48,364.

The four-week moving average of continued weeks claimed increased to 35,550 from the previous week’s average of 35,157.

For more detailed information on occupational groups of unemployment insurance claimants, visit the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s website at www.laworks.net and select Labor Market Information. Then under LMI Products select Unemployment Insurance Claims. The following selections are available: Weekly Statewide UI Claims Data, Weekly UI Claims by RLMA, UI Claims by Industry, 13-Week Trend By Area, and UI Area Characteristics.