Another Bad Year for Kentucky Workers’ Wages
Real wages for Kentucky workers fell again last year, continuing a slide that began in 2001. Congress’ unwillingness to spur...
Jobs & The Economy
Need for Health Care Workers Is an Economic Opportunity
Because the expansion of Medicaid and creation of a state health insurance exchange will provide health coverage to several hundred thousand people, Kentucky will have workforce needs associated with meeting...
Sharp Decline in Coal Severance Tax Revenue Underscores Need for Economic Plan
New data showing that eastern Kentucky lost 4,000 coal jobs last year should raise alarm among public officials about the longstanding need for an economic transition plan. So should the...
Kentucky Remains Long Way from Employment Recovery
New estimates show that Kentucky has added on average 1,500 net new jobs a month for the last six months and 1,525 a month for the last year. So far,...
Why Regions Fail
Others have rightly jumped on Nicholas Kristof’s December column in the New York Times criticizing the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for children with disabilities. Kristof uses stories of families...
The State of Working Kentucky 2012: Jobs by Industry
Kentucky’s economy continues to change, with a decline in manufacturing jobs and a shift toward more jobs in the service sector—a trend that has accelerated with the weak economy of...
The State of Working Kentucky 2012: Race
The weak economy of the last few years has had far-reaching effects, but some groups have been harder hit than others. In particular, African Americans in Kentucky have suffered enormous...
The State of Working Kentucky 2012: Education
There is no question that greater levels of education are associated with higher wages and employment rates in Kentucky, and employment has been declining among those with less than a...
The State of Working Kentucky 2012: Wages
Working Kentuckians have experienced a lost decade in terms of wage growth, a trend that is undermining family economic security across the Commonwealth and will likely persist at least as...
The State of Working Kentucky 2012: Youth
In times of recession and high unemployment, it’s particularly hard for young people to find jobs. Competition for the jobs that do exist becomes more intense, making it harder for...