1012 Corridor

The New Orleans region represented 28% of the 40,050 job vacancies statewide reported in the second quarter of 2009, according to the Louisiana Department of Labor's Job Vacancy Survey. The New Orleans region, which comprises Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John and St. Tammany parishes, reported 11,156 job vacancies in 23 sectors. The survey identifies the number and types of jobs available in specific industries and regions of the state, providing a snapshot of the conditions in various regions and occupational labor markets. The top three sectors with the largest number of vacancies were sales with 2,168 openings, office and administrative with 1,094 openings and health care practitioners with 830 openings. The farming, fishing and forestry sector posted the lowest number of vacancies with three openings. The top five openings in the New Orleans region with the highest number of vacancies: retail salespeople, 1,156; welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, 768; cashiers, 585; nursing aides, orderlies and attendants, 284; and registered nurses, 282. Of the positions available, 27% paid more than $18 per hour, 21% paid between $13.01 and $18 per hour and 9% paid between $10.56 and $13 per hour. Statewide, the top five job openings were servers with 2,269 openings, retail salespeople with 1,914 openings, nursing aides with 1,410 openings, cashiers with 1,232 openings and registered nurses with 1,209 openings. About 23.3% of the employers surveyed in the New Orleans region reported that finding qualified applicants or applicants with experience was their greatest difficulty in filling vacancies, higher than the 22.4% of employers statewide with the same problem. Statewide, 30.9%of employers surveyed said they had no problems filling vacancies, fewer than the 33.1% in the New Orleans area.