CBER in the News | The Center for Business and Economic Research

Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet releases April 2018 unemployment report

(The Lane Report, 19 May 2018)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 19, 2018) — Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary April 2018 unemployment rate was 4 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics (KCEWS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The unemployment rate for April 2018 was unchanged from the 4 percent reported for March 2018.

The preliminary April 2018 jobless rate was down 1.2 percentage points from the 5.2 percent recorded for the state in April 2017.

Christian County top dark fire-cured tobacco producing county

(The Eagle Post, 1 May 2018)

Christian County is the top dark fire-cured tobacco producing county in Kentucky for 2017, and the county also ranks among the top producers for burley tobacco, dark air-cured tobacco and dark fire-cured tobacco, according to recent county estimates released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Christian County produced 8,800,000 pounds of dark fire-cured tobacco from 2,880 acres and was top producer among three counties.

Kentucky's unemployment is the lowest in 42 years, but there's a catch

(WDRB, 23 April 2018)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Education and Workforce Development, the state's unemployment rate was at 4 percent in March, the lowest since 1976.

Growth in tech companies such as the Louisville-based internet marketing firm El Toro is one reason why. It is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the country from a half-dozen employees less than five years ago, to 90 today. And there are plans to double in size.

Annual report shows UK research’s $331million impact on Kentucky in 2017

(The Lane Report, 9 April 2018)

How is research at the University of Kentucky transforming tomorrow? The UK Research 2017 Annual Report shares the economic impact of UK research, strategic plan progress, national rankings and innovative federally funded research projects in substance abuse, cancer, diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, neuroscience and aging, and energy.

Seeing 'now hiring' signs everywhere? Kentucky's unemployment rate is at a 42-year low

(Herald Leader, 21 April 2018)

Unemployment in Kentucky is at the lowest rate ever recorded in the 42 years since the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics began providing the data.

The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet said the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment in March was 4 percent, down from 5.2 percent a year earlier.

Nationally, unemployment in March stood at 4.1 percent, the same as it was in February. Kentucky's revised unemployment rate for February was 4.1 percent.

UK Center Issues Report Showing Education Important to Kentucky's Economic Future

Identifying education as the most important factor affecting Kentucky’s economic future, the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) — the applied economic research branch of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky — released its 46th Kentucky Annual Economic Report today.

Kentucky's Jobless Rate Declined in December

AP (19 January 2018)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State officials say Kentucky ended last year with a drop in its unemployment rate.

The Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics says the seasonally adjusted preliminary rate in December was 4.4 percent. That's down from the 4.7 percent rate in November, and was lower than the 4.8 percent jobless rate across Kentucky in December 2016.

Kentucky's jobless rate last month was slightly above the 4.1 percent national rate.

Experts Question Economic Analysis Behind Butchertown Soccer Stadium

The decision earlier this week to delay a vote on a financing piece of a planned soccer stadium development in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood will likely make time for skeptical city leaders to scrutinize the deal.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a news release Tuesday the postponement would “give the Metro Council additional time for review.”

State figures show unemployment rate up slightly from June to July

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary July unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from June, according to the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics. The rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than a year ago.

“The household survey may suggest that Kentucky’s economy slowed somewhat this month but with a 5.3 percent unemployment rate, the state’s economy is still healthy,” said Chris Bollinger, Director of the University of Kentucky Center for Business and Economic Research.

Jobless rates up in region

The Hopkins County unemployment rate jumped to 5.6 percent in June, up from 4.9 percent in May.

However, the increase is likely due to the time of year rather than any significant change in employment, according to Mike Clark, associate director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky.

"What seems to be going on is just seasonality," Clark said, referring to how jobs in some industries, such as retail and construction, fluctuate depending on the time of year. "You really need to be looking at the trends over time."