New Orleans includes one of the worlds's busiest ports and is also a prominent maritime industry center. The region is also a major center of oil refining and petrochemical production. New Orleans is home to the regional headquarters of several major energy companies including Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and ENI. The city also includes the headquarters of other energy producing companies and oil services firms. The energy sector supports numerous engineering and design firms. The offshore and onshore petroleum and natural gas production sector provides numerous white collar jobs.
The Federal Government is a significant employer in the area. The New Orleans region is home to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, the National Finance Center, the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Command and the U.S. Fifth Court of Appeals.
Aerospace manufacturing is an important part of the economy. Martin Marietta manufactures aerospace components for NASA. New Orleans also includes a globally competitive manufacturing industry. Also, some of the top private employers are shipbuilding companies. Other prominent elements of the economy are higher education, the large healthcare industry, the prominent tourism industry, and research and technology.
The School-to-Career Initiative, which is managed by Greater New Orleans Inc., has organized local companies into industry clusters in fields such as architecture, design, engineering and construction; financial services, culinary arts, law-related careers, hospitality and tourism, information technology, petrochemical and healthcare. The program offers teacher and student shadowing opportunities and internships. The School-to-Career Initiative is focused on producing quality employees for the region.
The following is a list of New Orleans' top private employers:
- Schwegmann Bros. Giant Supermarket
- Hibernia Corp
- First Commerce Corp., of Louisiana
- South Central Bell
- Shell Oil Company
- Martin Marietta
- Exxon Corporation
- Whitney National Bank
- Union Carbide Corp
- Ruth's Chris Steak House
- Hilton Hotels
- Pan American Life Insurance
- Pool Corp
- Rolls-Royce
- AT&T
- Newpark Resources
- Turbo Squid
- IBM
- Superior Energy Services
- Navtech
- Textron Marine & Land Systems
- McDermott International
- Lockheed Martin
- Harrah's Entertainment
- Stewart Enterprises
The primary employment sectors in New Orleans are provided below:
- Trade, transportation and utilities
- Government
- Educational and health services
- Leisure and hospitality
- Professional and business services
- Finance
- Manufacturing
Noteworthy information about New Orleans, Louisiana: In 2008 the cost of living index for the city was 93.8. The nation's average is 100. About 26% of the adult residents have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.
Companies located in New Orleans are invited to work with useful associations including:
- New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
- Greater New Orleans Inc
- Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
- Louisiana Economic Development
People interested in local business and industry news can read New Orleans City Business