Louisiana construction payrolls grew +12.7% over the year while pay for many high-volume roles sits below national medians. Here is what that means for how you source, screen and close hires.
Construction is the standout in Louisiana right now. The sector grew +12.7% over the year, far ahead of the state's overall job growth of +1.6%. Laborers, installers and crew leads are in demand, and every contractor hiring them is fishing in the same pool.
The rest of the market is steady, not slack. Unemployment is 4.2%, unchanged from 4.2% a year ago and in line with the national rate of 4.2%. The job openings rate of 4.8% runs ahead of the hires rate of 3.9%. Employers are posting more roles than they fill, so the ones who respond first tend to win the candidate.
Pay is the other half of the picture. Median wages for most high-volume roles in the tables below are under their national medians. That gives Louisiana employers room to compete on pay clarity, speed and schedule, not just the hourly number.
With unemployment at 4.2%, a labor force of 2.11 million and openings (4.8%) outpacing hires (3.9%), there is no large pool of idle workers waiting on your posting. A quits rate of 2.7% means some of your candidates are employed and comparing offers, so expect to recruit people who already have a job.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, CES, JOLTS). "Preliminary" figures may be revised. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
| Occupation | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales representatives of services | $16.12 | $26.54 | $52.19 | 8,200 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing | $16.53 | $30.43 | $58.68 | 19,120 |
| Telemarketers | $11.27 | $13.90 | $20.69 | 380 |
| Customer service representatives | $13.67 | $17.95 | $24.52 | 25,780 |
| Retail salespersons | $10.55 | $14.18 | $21.77 | 49,570 |
| Cashiers | $9.28 | $12.86 | $16.72 | 46,350 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers | $11.61 | $16.99 | $22.54 | 43,730 |
| Fast food and counter workers | $8.95 | $10.96 | $16.02 | 45,720 |
| Janitors and cleaners | $10.21 | $13.91 | $19.15 | 27,610 |
| Sales managers | $29.35 | $53.22 | $104.62 | 4,360 |
Medians sit below national levels across the board, for example fast food and counter workers at $10.96 versus $15.00 nationally, and customer service reps at $17.95 versus $21.53. Benchmark against the Louisiana figures, not national ones, and note how far the 90th percentile stretches in sales roles.
375,300 jobs · 18.6% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Trade, transportation, and utilities is the biggest employer at 18.6% but slipped −0.5%, so warehouse, driver and retail hiring is mostly replacement hiring where fast follow-up on applicants matters more than new sourcing channels.
359,500 jobs · 17.8% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Private education and health services grew +2.2% on a 17.8% share, which keeps steady pressure on aide, medical assistant and childcare roles that need credential checks and shift-friendly interview times.
227,200 jobs · 11.2% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Professional and business services grew +3.2%, so contact-center and outbound sales employers should expect competition for the same customer-facing candidates and screen for communication skills early.
225,900 jobs · 11.2% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Leisure and hospitality holds 11.2% of jobs with growth of just +0.2%, meaning hospitality hiring is driven by turnover and seasonal peaks rather than expansion.
152,900 jobs · 7.6% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Construction jumped +12.7%, the fastest of the top sectors, so contractors need a standing pipeline of laborers and crew leads instead of posting only when a project starts.
Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest sector at 18.6% of jobs, followed closely by Private education and health services at 17.8%. Growth is concentrated in construction and professional and business services, while trade and hospitality are roughly flat.
The table summarizes state rules on background checks, fair-chance hiring, non-competes, minimum wage and pay transparency as identified in the sources reviewed. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements with the relevant state agency or your own counsel before changing your process.
Louisiana employers may not request or consider arrests or charges that did not end in conviction when they come up in a background check, and must assess other criminal history against the specific job.
Louisiana's fair-chance rules cover only public employers: state employers may not ask about criminal history until after an interview opportunity or conditional offer, and local governments may not ask about arrests on initial applications.
No statewide minimum wage requirement was identified in the sources we reviewed.
Louisiana voids non-competes except in statutory cases: an employee may agree not to compete or solicit customers only within named parishes or municipalities, for no more than two years after employment ends.
No statewide pay transparency requirement was identified in the sources we reviewed.
General information, not legal advice.
Employment rules change and have exceptions that depend on employer size, industry and facts. This summary reflects the sources shown as of the dates shown (legal sources checked October 15, 2026). Confirm requirements with the relevant agency or qualified counsel before acting.
Openings at 4.8% outrun hires at 3.9%, so a slow reply hands the candidate to someone else. Send a text acknowledging every application and offer an interview slot right away. Hourly applicants are more likely to see and answer a text than an email.
With construction up +12.7%, waiting until a contract is signed to start hiring is too late. Keep past applicants, former crew members and referrals in a tagged pool. When a project lands, message the whole group at once and screen by phone before the first site visit.
Services sales pay runs from $16.12 at the 10th percentile to $52.19 at the 90th, with a median of $26.54. Candidates cannot read that spread from a single number. State the base, then describe a realistic commission range, so you attract people who understand the model and filter out those who need a fixed wage.
Medians such as cashiers at $12.86 and laborers and material movers at $16.99 sit below national levels. Use the state table to set offers, and know that small differences in hourly pay can move hourly candidates. Pay range disclosure is not identified as a state requirement, but listing it can reduce drop-off from people who would decline later.
State rules bar requesting or considering arrests or charges that did not end in conviction, and require other history to be assessed against the specific job. Write down which offenses are relevant to each role before you screen. Route flagged results to a trained reviewer instead of an automatic rejection.
Louisiana employers are filling more roles than the market easily supplies, so response time decides a lot of hires. The Communication Engine puts SMS and email in one place, and status-triggered automations send that first reply without anyone watching the inbox. For construction and hospitality teams that hire in bursts, Bulk Actions at Scale lets you message and move large applicant groups at once. AI voice screening calls candidates and feeds results into your pipeline, so crew and shift roles get screened before a manager picks up the phone.
Start with the state wage table, not national figures. Medians for most high-volume roles are below national levels, for example retail salespersons at $14.18 versus $17.03 nationally. Set offers around the local median and move toward the upper percentiles for hard-to-fill shifts or experienced workers.
Fast. The job openings rate of 4.8% is above the hires rate of 3.9%, which means candidates have options. Acknowledge applications the same day and offer interview times in the first message where possible.
Yes, texting is a practical way to reach hourly applicants, but get clear opt-in consent before you send recruiting messages. Tell candidates how to stop messages and honor STOP requests immediately. Confirm your consent process with counsel, since this is general practice and not legal advice.
Per the rules summarized above, employers may not request or consider arrests or charges that did not end in conviction, and must assess other criminal history against the specific job. Fair-chance timing rules apply to public employers. Confirm details with the state agency or your counsel.
Louisiana voids non-competes except in statutory cases. The exception allows an agreement not to compete or solicit customers only within named parishes or municipalities and for a limited period after employment ends. Have counsel review any agreement before using it.
Keep a tagged pool of past applicants and former workers so you can reach them in one batch. Use phone or text screening to qualify people quickly, then offer self-service interview booking. Construction growth of +12.7% makes a standing pipeline worth building now.
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Sources and data currency
Labor data as of August 2026; wage data May 2025; rules checked October 15, 2026. Next scheduled review: January 23, 2027. This page is educational market information for employers.
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