Committee of 100 releases April Intelligence Dashboard.

Baton Rouge, LA (April 17, 2024) – Continuing to underscore the importance of informed economic development for Louisiana policymakers, the Committee of 100 released its April

intelligence dashboard. Most notably, the report revealed that economic development in Louisiana needs a shot in the arm for Louisiana to catch up to other southern states in job

creation and to stop the shrinking of our population. The full presentation can be viewed and shared at https://www.c100la.org/research

“Our latest economic report shows that Louisiana needs to drive faster rates of economic growth, pointing to the timeliness of the proposed legislation, SB 494, to reorganize Louisiana Economic Development,” said Adam Knapp, CEO of Committee of 100. “The Committee of 100 endorses this legislation as an important step toward making the state more strategic and competitive for its economic development strategy going forward.”

Other highlights from in the April dashboard:

• State economic development outcomes declined over the last eight years compared to the prior eight years (Slide 7 & 8).

• Economic development activities declined over the last four years, compared to the prior four years (Slide 7).

• The Bayou Region and Northshore Region showed the most job growth over the last year (Slide 4).

• Job creation compared to South states continues to lag (Slide 2).

• Population declined in most metro and micro regions, while most areas saw increasing labor force participation.

• There are 34,670 more people employed than in non-farm jobs, compared to pre-COVID when there were 8,594 more non-farm jobs than people counted as employed, representing a notable shift in the economy (Slide 3).