NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana's unemployment rate stood at 7.1 percent in April, unchanged from March, according to fresh data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The seasonally adjusted figures, though, revealed that overall the state's unemployment rate has risen since the start of the year.
Still, the number of people unemployed in Louisiana dipped slightly from March.
Nevada has the nation's worst jobless rate, creeping up to 11.2 percent in April. North Dakota's oil-fueled boom kept unemployment there at the nation's lowest rate, 3 percent.
In a separate report, the Louisiana Workforce Commission said first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose last week.
The commission reported 3,394 initial claims for the week ending May 12 — up from 3,124 claims for the previous week.
Initial claims for the comparable week ending May 14, 2011, totaled 3,923.
Those still looking for work last week filed for 31,691 weeks of additional payments, down from the previous week's 32,297.
For the comparable week a year ago, the state received claims for an additional 43,111 benefit weeks.