Greater New Orleans Jobs Report Highlights Workforce Growth and Opportunities

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) and Bank of America have unveiled the 2025 Greater New Orleans Jobs Report, marking the seventh annual edition of this comprehensive workforce analysis. The report provides a detailed overview of high-demand occupations and burgeoning industries in Southeast Louisiana, aiming to align education, training, and economic development strategies with the region's workforce needs.

Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO, Inc., emphasized the report's significance, stating, "The labor market in Greater New Orleans is starting a new chapter where the energy industry is booming, the Louisiana International Terminal is on the verge of reshaping local logistics, and healthcare remains the backbone of the regional workforce." Hecht added that the report demonstrates the real job opportunities available and the importance of aligning educational pathways to meet these demands.

The 2025 report introduces updated wage thresholds based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) 2025 Living Wage for Greater New Orleans. It sets the floor for Top Jobs at $24.60 per hour, with On-Ramp Jobs ranging between $18.45 and $24.60 per hour. These updates aim to provide a clearer picture of the labor market and facilitate the alignment of workforce training with actual demand.

In addition to the wage thresholds, the report expands its criteria to include select declining occupations, which are defined as those with at least 500 current jobs and no more than a 25% decline over the past decade. This inclusion acknowledges the continued relevance of foundational roles in logistics, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and business operations, even as these sectors face structural changes.

The findings of the report highlight several key insights about the Greater New Orleans labor market:

• The unemployment rate in Greater New Orleans held steady at 4.4% in 2025, unchanged from the previous year and slightly below the national rate of 4.5%.
• Average weekly wages in the region rose to $1,430, representing a substantial 41% increase since 2019.
• Healthcare continues to be the largest employer in the region, boasting over 86,000 jobs and experiencing a 15% growth rate over the past decade.
• The digital media sector has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries, adding more than 1,300 jobs (+25%) since 2015, largely driven by advancements in software development and data infrastructure.
• Energy remains a high-wage sector, with average annual earnings nearing $199,000, even as it transitions toward an "all-of-the-above" strategy that includes liquefied natural gas (LNG), carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and renewables.
• The Louisiana International Terminal is identified as a generational investment that will significantly boost trade and logistics capacity, strengthening supply chains and creating new opportunities across advanced manufacturing and related sectors.

Hecht noted the dual workforce challenge facing the region, stating that it must continue to support pathways into high-volume, foundational roles in healthcare, education, and business operations, all the meanwhile developing a high-skill, specialized workforce for future jobs. This balancing act is key to ensuring the region's economic stability and growth.

The report identifies Top Jobs—occupations with a median hourly wage of at least $24.60 and strong demand— and highlights On-Ramp Jobs, which provide accessible entry points into career pathways leading to long-term economic mobility. The interactive dashboard accompanying the report allows users to explore job data filtered by industry, wage, education level, and more, making it a valuable resource for stakeholders.

Bank of America, which partnered with GNO, Inc. on this initiative, is committed to empowering local stakeholders. Jonathan Matessino, president of Bank of America for New Orleans and Baton Rouge, remarked, "This year’s Jobs Report gives educators, employers, and policymakers a sharper, more complete picture of where real workforce demand exists, so they can deploy resources where they’ll have the greatest impact." He highlighted that the report points to growth areas and underlines the importance of a strong talent pipeline for the region's economic foundation.

In the coming year, GNO, Inc. and its partners plan to utilize these findings to inform public policy, business development, educational programming, and philanthropic investment. The goal is to build a more resilient, equitable, and opportunity-rich region, ensuring that the workforce can meet the demands of a rapidly changing economic environment.

The 2025 Greater New Orleans Jobs Report is available through an interactive platform at gnoinc.org/jobsreport, providing stakeholders with actionable data to guide their efforts in workforce development.

As the Greater New Orleans labor market continues to evolve, the insights from this report will play a fundamental role in shaping the future of the region's economy, ensuring that it remains competitive and capable of meeting the challenges ahead.

With the Louisiana International Terminal set to play a key role in the region's logistics and trade, the emphasis on aligning education and training with market needs has never been more pressing. The findings of the 2025 report will be instrumental in guiding the region's workforce initiatives and public policy decisions in the years to come.