NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana gained 32,700 non-farm jobs from July 2007 through July 2008 as the annual growth pace jumped a bit from the previous month, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Monday.

On a nonseasonally adjusted basis, about half of the gain — 16,300 — came from the New Orleans metropolitan area, which is still trying to recover from huge job losses stemming from Hurricane Katrina.

Goods-producing jobs increased by 3,300 over the year, almost entirely due to the construction sector. The state added another 29,400 jobs in the service-providing sector, with the big gainers recorded in educational and health services, leisure and hospitality and state and local governments.

Between June 2007 and June 2008, the job count rose 24,800.

In the goods-producing sector, construction jobs were up by 4,700 in the latest annual comparison. Petroleum-related jobs rose by 100, while manufacturing shed 1,500.

Louisiana State University economist Loren Scott said the manufacturing sector is in line to grow weaker. The latest figures do not include the recent loss of an entire shift and 760 jobs at the General Motors Corp. plant in Shreveport. Citgo Petroleum Corp. also is closing a lubricant and wax plant in Lake Charles, with the elimination of 200 jobs.

In the service-providing sector, educational and health services rose by 7,700 jobs, state government added 6,100 jobs over the year, leisure-hospitality grew by 5,100 jobs and local governments added 4,300 jobs.

State government recorded 114,000 jobs in July, compared with 115,800 in July 2005, the last full month before Katrina hit. Local government employment stood at 221,900 in July, down from 211,900 in July 2005.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, Louisiana’s unemployment rate in July was 3.9 percent, compared with 3.8 percent in June and 3.7 percent in July 2007. The national unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in July, up from 5.5 percent in June.

In July, there were 16,780 new and renewed claims for unemployment insurance, up from 13,259 in June and 11,038 in July 2007. Last month, 1,962 recipients exhausted their jobless benefits, down from 2,080 in June and 2,305 in July 2007.

Among the state’s other metropolitan areas: Baton Rouge gained 4,500 non-farm jobs over the year, Shreveport-Bossier City added 4,000, Lafayette gained 3,600, Houma-Thibodaux added 2,300, Monroe gained 1,000, Lake Charles added 800 and Alexandria lost 400.