Kentucky’s Changing Labor Force Participation, Explained
With the economy now experiencing the longest recovery on record, there is a temptation among some to overstate the strength...
Jobs and the Economy
Lopsided Recovery Continues to Leave Out Eastern Part of State
A recovering economy since the Great Recession has bypassed much of rural Kentucky and especially the eastern and northeastern regions of the state. Those conditions magnify the harm from current...
Average Kentucky Worker’s Paycheck Not Yet Benefitting from Growing Economy
With all of the claims about how great the economy is right now, the data shows that the average Kentuckian’s wages remained flat in 2018, continuing the trend of nearly...
Manufacturing Job Growth Has Slowed in Kentucky Since Passage of “Right-To-Work”
Manufacturing job losses in recent decades have hurt Kentucky communities. Two recessions and trade policies that have encouraged outsourcing and made American goods more expensive relative to other countries’ have...
Record-Breaking Failure to Raise the Minimum Wage Is Holding Back Kentucky
This week marks the longest period in history the federal government has failed to increase the minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. Because Kentucky...
Systemic Barriers Continue to Hold Back Wages and Employment for Kentuckians of Color
On the 154th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, barriers to thriving for black Kentuckians are still deeply entrenched. Data on wages and unemployment in Kentucky show that discrimination and...
Ways Forward for the Commonwealth
In the coming weeks and months, Kentuckians will hear from candidates for governor about their vision and ideas for our commonwealth. KCEP’s careful analysis of Kentucky data and the research...
Urban Growth in Kentucky Continued in 2018
Recently released population estimates from the Census document how much Kentucky has continued to urbanize over the last eight years. Rural eastern and western counties’ populations have dropped while the “golden triangle”...
New Bills Would Slash Unemployment Insurance and Leave Kentuckians Stranded
New bills filed in both the Kentucky House and Senate would severely cut unemployment insurance for Kentuckians who lose their jobs, reducing benefits by 20 percent for the average unemployed...
Growing Number of Kentucky Counties Have More Available Workers Than Jobs
New federal data on Labor Surplus Areas (LSAs) for 2019 — counties and cities that persistently have more available workers than jobs — shows the depth of Kentucky’s economic challenges....