How to Turn the Boomer Retirement Wave Into a Generational Opportunity
The soldiers returning from victory in World War II launched a new era of American optimism. The country was united...
Jobs and the Economy
A 2022 State Law Slashed Unemployment Insurance, Now Kentuckians Are Running Out of Benefits
In 2022, the General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 4, a sweeping cut to Kentucky’s unemployment insurance program that reduced the number of weeks workers could claim jobless benefits. For...
Growing Death Rate and International Immigration Are Driving Recent Kentucky Population Trends
Over the past five years, Kentucky’s population grew by 2.2% according to new Census data, ranking the commonwealth 23rd among states. A closer look at the components of population growth...
Kentucky Has Had No Net Job Growth Over the Last Two Years
Kentucky's job growth has stalled, with new federal data showing no net job increases in the state over the last two years. After a robust recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Kentuckians Hit Hard by Rising Gas Prices
The United States war in Iran has caused a spike in gas prices that now costs Kentuckians $175 million a month, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That's an additional $46.69 each month for...
HB 732 Would Further Undermine Worker Protections and Job Quality
Kentucky already has a growing problem with worker misclassification, in which employers inaccurately and often unlawfully treat employees as independent contractors. These workers are deprived of their rights, protections and...
Poll: Kentuckians Overwhelmingly Support Unions and Policies That Improve Job Quality
Kentuckians want state lawmakers to enact policies that support unionization and improve job quality, according to a new survey by national pollster Change Research. The poll finds broad, bipartisan support...
Kentucky Minimum Wage Now Half its Previous Peak, and Below Poverty Line
As of this week, it has been 16 years since the minimum wage was increased. Failure to increase this threshold has left working Kentuckians with a wage floor less than...
Kentuckians Need a New Trade Policy, Not a Chaotic Trade War
Fruit of the Loom apparel plants once dotted the Kentucky landscape, with 11,000 workers at factories in Jamestown, Frankfort, Campbellsville, Franklin, Greensburg, Princeton and Bowling Green. In 1987, the company was...
Looking Under the Hood at Kentucky’s Labor Force Participation
Kentucky’s labor force is a frequent topic of discussion among lawmakers. Too often, those deliberations result in punitive policy proposals because they fail to account for the reality many Kentuckians...