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.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for April 2018 was 3.9 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the 4.1 percent reported for March 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. The survey is designed to measure trends in the number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and individuals who are self-employed.

In April 2018, Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 2,053,872, a increase of 3,678 individuals compared to the previous month. The number of people employed was up by 3,733, while the number unemployed decreased by 55.

In a separate federal survey of business establishments that excludes jobs in agriculture and people who are self-employed, Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased by 100 jobs in April 2018 compared to March 2018. Kentucky has added 7,700 jobs since April 2017, a 0.4 percent employment growth.

Nonfarm data is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. According to this survey, seven of Kentucky’s 11 major nonfarm North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) job sectors experienced employment growth from the previous month, while three sectors saw employment decreases in April and one was unchanged.

“Kentucky’s unemployment rate remained at its lowest level in April despite a slight decline in payroll employment,” said University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) Director Chris Bollinger, Ph.D.