Kentucky’s Class of 2016 Faces Lingering Slack in Labor Market
Despite improvement, the labor market is still weak for young Kentuckians graduating from high school and college in 2016 according...
Jobs and the Economy
Budget Should Move Forward on Early Childhood, Not Back
Quality early childhood education, through child care and preschool, has been shown to have multiple layers of value: It helps the economy by generating jobs and economic activity, as well...
With Medicaid Expansion, Kentucky Healthcare Job Growth Picked Up in 2015
After modest growth in health care and social assistance jobs during the first year of Medicaid expansion, growth picked up at a rapid pace in 2015, according to newly-revised Bureau...
Three Steps to a Better Budget this Session
The General Assembly has less than two months to finalize the next two-year state budget. Although the governor’s budget rightly takes a big step toward fully funding our pension liabilities,...
Research Shows Disconnect Between States’ Job Creation Policies and Real World Job Growth
New analysis shows the vast majority of job growth in Kentucky (and all states) comes from in-state companies, calling into question the state’s focus on recruiting out-of-state businesses to the Commonwealth....
Eastern Kentucky, Veterans Affairs Workers Benefiting From Raised Minimum Wage for State Workers
More than 800 Kentucky workers have benefited across the Commonwealth because of the executive order raising the minimum wage for state workers and contractors signed last summer by outgoing Gov....
Raising Minimum Wage Would Reduce Spending on Medicaid
Those advocating to scale back Kentucky’s highly-successful Medicaid expansion cite a concern about its cost to the state. One way to help buffer costs would be to raise the minimum...
Close Look at Employment Numbers Shows Need for More Jobs
There's a big inconsistency between Kentucky's declining unemployment rate -- now at five percent, the lowest level since 2001 -- and the fact we still have many fewer people employed...
Child Care Workers’ Pay Is Not Enough
Child care plays a critical role for ensuring families can work and helping children get a healthy start to their developmental process. In Kentucky, it’s also responsible for $810 million...
Don’t Trust the Unemployment Rate: Coal Counties Edition
Kentucky is celebrating its drop in unemployment rate, which at 5.2 percent as of July is hovering at a level not seen since 2004. But since the unemployment rate doesn't...