News

Opioid abuse represents a significant and growing public health issue for both the nation and Kentucky. In 2016, opioids contributed to more than 62,000 deaths nationally and 1,406 deaths in Kentucky. National studies have placed the societal costs of opioid abuse at $55.7 billion in 2007 and $78.5 billion in 2013 (Birbaum et al. (2011) and Florence et al. (2016)). These costs included increased health care expenditures, higher criminal justice costs, and lost earnings due to reduced employment and premature deaths.

29 January 2020 - Beth Musgrave (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Lexington may have to implement cuts to public safety and other areas if it does not raises taxes or find new ways of generating revenue in coming years, a report released last week showed.

“If Lexington does not diversify its revenue, significant cuts will have to be made to the LFUCG General Fund Budget,” said the report by the Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton’s Finance and Economic Advisory Work Group.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2020) — What is the outlook for Kentucky’s economy in 2020? Should investors be confident about how the stock market will perform this year or concerned?

Questions like these and many more will be addressed by a panel of experts Wednesday, Feb. 12, as the University of Kentucky hosts the 31st annual Economic Outlook Conference, at Central Bank Center (formerly the Lexington Convention Center), in downtown Lexington.

27 January 2020 - Tom Latek (Kentucky Today)

FRANKFORT — There was a dip in Kentucky’s unemployment rate in December compared to the previous month, according to the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

The preliminary December 2019 jobless rate was 4.3%, down 0.1 percentage points from the 4.4% recorded for the state in November 2019, as well as for December 2018. This compares to the U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December 2019 of 3.5%, unchanged from November 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

23 January 2020 - Chris Otts (WDRB)

The share of Kentucky workers belonging to unions has reached a record low three years after the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a right-to-work law.

Federal data released Wednesday show 8% of Kentucky workers belonged to unions in 2019, the lowest since U.S. Department of Labor began keeping state-by-state figures in 2000.

23 January 2020 - The Lane Report

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary December 2019 unemployment rate was 4.3%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC).

The preliminary December 2019 jobless rate was down 0.1% from the 4.4% recorded for the state in November 2019. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December 2019 was 3.5%, unchanged from November 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

9 January 2020 (Stu Johnson - WEKU)

The interim director of the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics said monthly unemployment figures don’t offer a complete picture of the overall economy. 

6 January 2020 (Becca Schimmel - WKYU)

The year: 2009. A Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama has just made history upon taking the presidential oath of office. The national economy is at a low point in the Great Recession. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls.

Ten years later, as 2019 gives way to a new decade, the country is a radically different place, and the Ohio Valley is no exception.

22 November 2019 - News-Democrat & Leader 

Kentucky's seasonally adjusted preliminary October 2019 unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC). The unemployment rate for October 2019 was down from the 4.4 percent reported for September 2019.

The preliminary October 2019 jobless rate was unchanged compared to the 4.3 percent recorded for the state in October 2018.

18 November 2019 (The Lane Report)

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary October 2019 unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC). The unemployment rate for October 2019 was down from the 4.4 percent reported for September 2019.

The preliminary October 2019 jobless rate was unchanged compared to the 4.3 percent recorded for the state in October 2018.