A bucking trend is a difficult thing to get a handle on

City Biz headline two days ago: New Orleans, Houma buck national unemployment trend

City Biz blog yesterday:

Industrial employment down in La.
Thursday, June 4, 2009 · No Comments

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Here’s more evidence that Louisiana is not immune from the national recession.

According to a report released today by Manufacturers’ News Inc., the state lost 3,385 industrial jobs and 101 manufacturers from April 2008 to this past April. Industrial employment in the state fell 1.7 percent during that time.

Tom Dubin, president of the Evanston, Ill.-based publishing company, tried to put a positive spin on it for Louisiana.

“Due to its stronghold in the oil and gas industry, Louisiana’s losses are not nearly as severe as many other states,” he said.•

Is your head spinning yet? One day we're "bucking the trend" the next day we're "not immune" to it. But then in the same story we have someone say we're still kind of trend-bucky after all. Another week in the life of City Business wishful reporting.

Interesting that at this moment, it's the oil and gas industry that's doing the trend-bucking for us. On the days that oil prices are lower, it's the service/tourist sector that makes us immune. But today is apparently a down day for them.