CBER in the News | The 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."

Kentucky’s unemployment rate increases to 5.1 percent in June 2017

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary June unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The unemployment rate for June 2017 was up 0.1 percentage points from the 5 percent reported in May 2017.

The preliminary June 2017 jobless rate was up 0.1 percentage points from the 5 percent rate recorded for the state in June 2016.

Kentucky Chamber Report Details State's Infrastructure Condition

In connection with National Infrastructure Week, today the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce released “A Citizen’s Guide to Kentucky Infrastructure” a report detailing the critical condition of much of the state’s infrastructure and suggested solutions to the issues facing the state.

A Potentially Unhealthy Mix: How Workplace Practices Can Either Enhance Or Exacerbate Health Preparedness

Inequality—in both opportunity and outcome—is becoming the defining zeitgeist of our era. We typically think about inequality in the context of income, but equity and health also go hand-in-hand.

As economy becomes more automated, is your job safe? (Lexington Herald-Leader)

By Tom Martin

5 February 2017

A study by Oxford professors Michael Osborne and Carl Benedikt Frey estimates that 47 percent of jobs in the U.S. are at risk of being automated in the next 20 years. In his farewell speech, former President Obama spoke of the relentless pace of automation that is making good middle class jobs obsolete. Tom Martin talks about the implications of automation with Dr. Chris Bollinger, professor of economics and director of the Center of Business and Economic Research in the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics.

UK Report Expects "Robust" Economic Growth in Kentucky (UKnow)

By Michael Childress, Carl Nathe, and Ann Mary Quarandillo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 7, 2017) – Forecasting "robust" economic growth this year and identifying education as the most important factor affecting Kentucky’s economic future, the University of Kentucky Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) released its 45th Kentucky Annual Economic Report today. CBER is the applied economic research branch of UK's Gatton College of Business and Economics.

University of Kentucky Economists See "Robust" 2017 for Commonwealth (Business Lexington)

(7 February 2017)

University of Kentucky economists are predicting “robust” economic development for the Commonwealth in 2017.

The university’s Center for Business and Economic Research, part of the Gatton College of Business and Economics, on Tuesday released its annual economic report – its 45th such report.

“The annual economic report contains a vast amount of information about the state’s economy that can be used by business leaders, policymakers and citizens to become better informed on economic issues,” Gatton Dean David Blackwell said in a statement.

Focus on Business: Chris Bollinger on Automation and the Workforce (WEKU)

In his farewell speech, former President Obama spoke of the "relentless pace of automation that is making good middle class jobs obsolete. Today, Tom Martin talks with Dr. Chris Bollinger, director of the University of Kentucky's Center of Business and Economic Research, about the impact of automation on the workforce, now and into the future.

UK's 28th Annual Economic Outlook Conference is February 7th (The Lane Report)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 17, 2017) – What is the outlook for the stock market? What about job creation in Kentucky and the nation? What actions can we expect from the Federal Reserve in the coming months and how will they impact our economy and your pocketbook or wallet?

These are just a few of the topics and questions which will be addressed on Tuesday, Feb. 7, as the University of Kentucky hosts its 28th Annual Economic Outlook Conference “What’s Next for Kentucky in the Global Economy?” in downtown Lexington.

Cutting Wages No Way to Grow Economy (BereaOnline.com)

Legislative leaders say the 2017 Kentucky General Assembly will focus on jobs and the economy. That priority is welcome given challenges across the state. But the policy issues reportedly topping the to-do list — making Kentucky a Right-to-Work state and repealing the prevailing wage law — would not help, but would actually hinder the goal of creating a more prosperous economy.