Gov. Jeff Landry says job growth in Louisiana is surging

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A new report by a nonpartisan organization finds Louisiana is experiencing a rare boom in job growth.

On Thursday (Nov. 12), Gov. Jeff Landry joined the CEO of the broadband internet company Swyft Fiber at a ribbon cutting to establish its national headquarters in Metairie.

“You’re seeing a company committed to keeping its headquarters in Louisiana which means they’re going to keep 200-300 jobs right here in Jefferson Parish,” said Gov. Landry.

To expand broadband internet in Louisiana, the company said it is bringing $1 billion of investment to the state.

“It’s not only bringing broadband to people; 500,000 homes is our target. It’s about careers. We’re bringing good-paying jobs,” said Jason Hunt, CEO of Swyft Fiber.

Thursday’s announcement came as Louisiana is seeing a surge in job creation, according to a new report by Leaders For a Better Louisiana.

“In this report, what we saw is the state has added enough jobs to put us at the second fastest growth rate among the states, not just in the South over the last 12 months, but nationally,” said Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana.

Knapp of the non-partisan economic development group Leaders for a Better Louisiana said as of the third quarter of 2026, the state added 36,000 jobs over the year.

Louisiana is second only to South Carolina in terms of job growth through September.

Most of those jobs, Knapp said, are coming from construction jobs related to massive buildouts like Meta’s “Hyperion” data center in Richland Parish and various liquified natural gas terminals in the state. Knapp said the Landry administration’s aggressive approach to economic development appears to be paying off.

“In general, what we’ve seen in the last two years has been a bit of an uptick in terms of the coordinated effort of the state to go after new projects,” said Knapp.

“We are winning. It’s unbelievable, and we’re going to keep winning because of announcements just like today,” said Gov. Landry.

Some of the big projects Louisiana has landed are drawing environmental concerns and even legal challenges. The governor responded to those concerns with his own questions.

“I get it, you get some citizens, they’re against everything. But I guess the question is what do they offer? What have they offered? What have they brought? What have they done to keep our best, brightest and most skilled here?” Landry said.

Even with the economic gains, challenges remain. Louisiana recently topped a national list when it comes to the number of people living in poverty.

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