For newcomers, working in New Orleans means a diverse economy and a broad range of job opportunities. The city is home to one of the country’s busiest ports and has long been central to American trade and exports. Fortune 500 employers such as the energy company Entergy are based here too.
Beyond trade and exports, tourism is the city’s other big money-spinner. Many millions of visitors come each year, and they pay a large share of the city’s sales taxes.
Job market in New Orleans
The job market in New Orleans is fairly healthy and unusually varied for a city of its size. Most of the new jobs are in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, trade, and the tech sector; wages in energy are still the best in the region, even though it is no longer where most of the hiring happens. Businesses are drawn here by low operating costs and by some of the most generous tax incentives in the country, especially for the entertainment and technology industries.
New Orleans has been a major port of entry for centuries, thanks to its position at the mouth of the Mississippi, and it is still a serious force in American trade. If your background is in trade or logistics, the port and its supply chains are a natural place to start looking.
Healthcare is the biggest employer in the metro area. Hospital systems such as Ochsner Health and LCMC Health employ tens of thousands between them and have added staff almost every year for a decade. Advanced manufacturing is another mainstay. At the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, workers build spacecraft and defence hardware, and aerospace suppliers have set up nearby. Construction, energy, higher education, and government are all sizeable employers as well.
Tourism and hospitality are among the largest employers of all. Close to one in seven of the metro’s workers have jobs in the sector, and demand is fairly steady, since visitors and conventions arrive all around the year.
Finding a job in New Orleans
These days, finding a job in New Orleans tends to start online. You will find most openings on the big job portals and professional networks such as LinkedIn, and a browse through them is a quick way to get a feel for who is hiring and for what. It pays to research the employers you like the look of, then keep an eye on their careers pages, where new roles often appear before they make it onto the big portals.
Networking matters just as much, online and in person. A contact inside a company is often the surest way to get a foot in the door, whether they put in a word with the hiring manager or simply make sure your CV lands on the right desk.
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Work culture in New Orleans
Compared with the big coastal hubs, the work culture in New Orleans is fairly relaxed, and the lifestyle here is a genuine draw. The cost of living is easier on the wallet than in New York or San Francisco, and most employers make a real effort to protect their staff’s work-life balance.
Larger corporations back this up with solid benefits packages. Health insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, and support for training and career progression are all common at that level.
Small firms are a big part of the picture too. The state, through Louisiana Economic Development, and regional bodies such as GNO, Inc. put real money and support behind new businesses, and founders have built a lively start-up scene off the back of it. Louisiana’s tax credits for tech firms are among the most aggressive in the country, which is another reason founders base themselves here. Employees at these smaller companies often get perks that corporates are slower to offer, such as flextime and the option to work remotely.