Economic and Workforce Development

The disruption of business and commerce can be as costly to communities as the loss of infrastructure and buildings.  Encouraging businesses and workers to quickly return is essential for recovery in southern Louisiana.  Governments need a tax base to operate, people need jobs to return, and businesses need workers to reopen.  With many areas struggling economically even before the disaster, rebuilding the economy is especially important.

Economic development occupies a central role in the overall recovery effort; people want to return home, and for many, having a job to come home to is an absolute necessity.

This Sector was written with specific input from the Louisiana Recovery Authority and FEMA’s Long-Term Community Recovery Division.  Included in this sector:

• Statistics on the number of jobs and businesses disrupted due to the hurricanes
• Specific strategies and goals for economic development
• Current economic development initiatives and incentives