Tracking the Economic Recovery from COVID-19 in Kentucky
As more Kentuckians are vaccinated, and as American Rescue Plan Act spending supports the economy, people are returning to work...
Jobs & The Economy
Let’s Do More Than Light a Candle for the Mayfield Factory Workers
Eight people died in the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory when it was hit by a massive tornado last Friday night, and there were serious injuries among the 102 other...
New Federal Infrastructure Law Moves Kentucky Forward
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which the President has now signed into law, includes much-needed new investments in modernizing Kentucky's physical infrastructure. The law funds a broad array...
Understanding the Workforce Requires Being Honest About Work
The latest version of a decades-long narrative that Kentuckians lack the motivation to work now says we have a “workforce crisis.” Like in the past, this story from employers ignores...
Honor Labor Day by Supporting Workers as if They Are Essential
Starting last year, as COVID-19 led people to social distance and quarantine, a new term entered the lexicon: "essential worker." Though everyday working people have always been the key to...
$300 Weekly Jobless Benefit Is Good for Kentucky’s Economy
The expanded $300 a week in federally-funded jobless benefits known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) is providing a necessary bridge for families and the economy as we begin to...
This One Weird Trick Will Help Kentucky Employers Find Workers
As the economy is beginning to recover, we’re hearing the return of old, discredited claims that people just aren't willing to work. Pay attention and you'll notice that such complaints...
The Coronavirus Economy in Kentucky: One Year Later
The calendar now marks one year since COVID-19 hit Kentucky. Over that time, the impact on human health has been enormous: over 422,000 Kentuckians have contracted the virus and nearly...
Kentucky Saw Small Uptick in Jobs in January, But Major Jobs Gap Remains
Kentucky’s economy experienced slight improvement in January, new monthly jobs data shows, but the employment situation remains far weaker than it was before the pandemic hit a year ago. Thankfully,...
Recovery Went in Reverse in December as Relief Expired, Pandemic Resurged
New monthly jobs data shows the state lost jobs in December for the first time since the recovery began in the spring of 2020. The end of federal CARES Act...