BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal hailed Louisiana's highest-ever business climate ranking – No. 5 by Business Facilities – as a fresh signal of Louisiana's emergence as one of America's top climates for business investment and job creation.

Louisiana rose from No. 7 in 2011 to No. 5 in the magazine's 2012 State Rankings Report, after the state had climbed into the Top 10 at No. 8 in 2010, when Business Facilities also named Louisiana its State of the Year.

Gov. Jindal said, "This ranking speaks volumes about our work to eliminate burdensome business taxes, rein in excessive spending, reform our ethics system, and overhaul our workforce development system. Indeed, the ranking demonstrates that our efforts are paying off, but more importantly, it shows that the business world is taking notice of Louisiana and more and more companies are moving here to create jobs and opportunity for our people. Today's announcement is great news, but we are not stopping here. We will not be satisfied until Louisiana is the best place in the world for businesses to invest and create jobs so that all of our sons and daughters can pursue their dreams right here at home."

Louisiana's No. 5 Business Facilities ranking continues a trend of rising business climate rankings. Before its upswing began in 2008, Louisiana typically languished in the lower tier of state business climate rankings. Today, Area Development ranks Louisiana No. 6 in the magazine's Top States for Doing Business report, while Site Selection magazine ranks Louisiana No. 7 among the best business climates in the U.S. Louisiana now stands at its highest-ever position in every major ranking of state business climates, including those published by Area Development, Business Facilities, CNBC, Forbes, Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Site Selection and Chief Executive.

In its 2012 Rankings Report, Business Facilities writes that Louisiana "has married an unmatched workforce training program with a bevy of new incentives that are spurring hot new growth sectors, including digital media."

Since 2008, Louisiana has secured economic development projects that are creating more than 51,500 new direct and indirect jobs, more than $12.6 billion in new capital investment and hundreds of millions in new sales for small businesses across the state. Diverse new investments from leading digital media/technology companies – including CenturyLink, GE Capital, Schumacher Group, Gameloft and EA – along with world-scale investments by such companies as Sasol Ltd., Cheniere Energy, Nucor and others have generated an unprecedented level of business investment interest in Louisiana.

Business Facilities has been a leading source of intelligence on corporate expansion and relocation projects since 1968. For more on the 2012 Rankings Report, visit businessfacilities.com.