More than 40% of people in Louisiana are unemployed, but not looking for jobs

A new report says a staggering number of people in Louisiana are unemployed and not seeking employment.

"What we really need to do is focus on the people who are not part of the labor force right now.  These are adults who are not looking for work,"  Workforce Commission Secretary Susie Schowen explained.

How big a group is that?

"Over 40 percent of our adults in Louisiana fall into that category, and we have to find ways to put them to work," she told WWL's Tommy Tucker.

Schowen said the most recent statistics show that nearly 42% of eligible workers in the state are not seeking employment.

She says many of those are living off of welfare.

"A lot of them are surviving on social services, and that's part of our challenge."

Meanwhile job after job goes unfilled.

"We've got a very low unemployment rate in our state right now. We've got a huge number of job openings."

The labor secretary says a new law gives her more tools to get people off of welfare an into jobs.

"It really names me... as the quarterback for focusing on industry demand and making sure that our systems are aligned to filling the needs of the employers."