CBER in the News

11 May 2020 - Brian Kirk (Newsweek)

The largest share of unemployment claims filed in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic is in the state of Kentucky, where more than 671,000 workers, nearly a third of the state's labor force, have sought jobless benefits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Labor released its weekly claims report on May 7, indicating that nearly 33 percent of Kentucky's workforce has filed for unemployment benefits in April.

11 May 2020 - Kate Elizabeth Queram (Route Fifty)

The percentage of each state's workforce filing for unemployment as a result of the pandemic ranges between 8% to 33%, largely depending on the industries that drive local economies.

Nearly a third of the workforce in Kentucky, Georgia and Hawaii filed for unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis by credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.

11 May 2020 - The Sentinel Echo (London, KY)

By three separate estimates, the coronavirus pandemic has given Kentucky the worst unemployment rate in the nation.

Fitch Ratings, which issues credit opinions on governments and other borrowers, said in a report Thursday that unemployment claims as a percentage of the labor force in Kentucky have totaled about 33 percent, the highest among the states.

8 May 2020 - Alicia Wallace (CNN Business)

During the past seven weeks, more than 30% of the March labor force in Kentucky, Hawaii and Georgia filed initial claims for unemployment benefits.

They're the three hardest-hit states in the nation, yet their employment landscapes have been rocked in unique ways.

Kentucky

Department of Labor data released Thursday showed 671,288 Kentuckians filed initial claims for jobless benefits during the last seven weeks. That's equal to about 32.7% of Kentucky's labor force in March.

8 May 2020 - WVLT (Knoxville, TN)

Three states have been hit particularly hard when it comes to the unemployment crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to CNN, more than 30 percent of the March labor force in Kentucky, Hawaii and Georgia filed initial claims for unemployment benefits.

The Department of Labor said Thursday 671,288 Kentuckians have filed initials claims for unemployment during the last seven weeks. That's about 33 percent of the state's March labor force.

6 May 2020 - John Charlton (WHAS11-ABC)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky is living in the now when it comes to COVID-19, but predicting what happens next is a difficult thing.

The state is approaching 600,000 unemployment claims, and paying them out to keep people going is certain to affect the state’s bottom line. That, as well as a huge hit to income tax and sales tax revenue.

“The income that people earn makes up a significant portion of both state and local tax revenues,” Dr. Mike Clark, an economist at the University of Kentucky, said.

30 April 2020 - Laura Hoy, InvestorPlace Contributor

Millennials often find themselves as the butt of the joke, but in today’s stock market, they’re the group that will have the last laugh. Since Boomers have a much shorter investment timeline, they have to make stressful buying and selling decisions. Meanwhile millennial stocks are far easier to come by.

29 April 2020 - The Springfield Sun

Officially, Washington County saw an increase of greater than 1 percentage point from the previous month in its unemployment rate for March. The increase, from 3.7% to 4.8%, means that approximately 67 more Washington Countians were looking for work in March than in February, according to the official count.

The numbers could be misleading, however, Springfield-Washington County Economic Development Authority Director Daniel Carney said.

20 April 2020 - Maggie Davis (WLEX)

TONIGHT! We'll chat with Kentucky economist Michael Clark about the impact Coronavirus could have on the local economy. What would a COVID-19 induced recession look like on a global scale and on a statewide scale? What advice would he give to the average Kentuckian who is concerned about the state of their financials? CHECK IT OUT!

Watch full interview HERE.

19 April 2020 (Northern KY Tribune)

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary March 2020 unemployment rate was 5.8 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC).