Tagged: unemployment

Indiana legislative leaders say they want a proposed statewide career council to include efforts to reduce the state's high jobless rate among military veterans.

House Speaker Brian Bosma says he was startled to learn that 20 percent of Indiana's post 9/11 veterans are unemployed. Bosma says the bill establishing the Indiana Career Council was amended to include a requirement that it involve military and veterans organizations as its proposals are developed.

The number of Kentuckians receiving unemployment benefits has fallen to just over 68,000.   

"That is down 57 percent from the high of 157,162 who received benefits in January of ’10.  The monthly initial claims of 35,000  is the lowest number in four years," said Joe Meyer,  secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. 

Meyer testified this week before a Kentucky House committee.

Kentucky’s jobless rate dropped to 8.1 percent last month.

The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet says the unemployment rate for December 2012 was down from 8.2 percent in November and well below the 9 percent recorded in December of 2011.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the leisure and hospitality field grew by 1,100, jobs in the educational and health services rose by 500 and jobs in the informational and financial sectors grew by a total of 600.

Kentucky state government officials say jobless rates improved in 99 counties in November but worsened in 20 others.

The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training reports that Woodford County kept its status as the place with the lowest jobless rate in the state at 5.4 percent. Scott County had the second lowest rate at 5.9 percent. And Fayette, Franklin, Oldham and Union counties were at 6 percent.

Magoffin County had the worst unemployment at 15.1 percent. Fulton County was a close second at 15 percent.

Kentucky’s labor market numbers are returning to pre-recession levels.

Office of Employment andTraining Economist Manoj Shanker says Kentucky is now adding about 5,800 jobs each month. Shanker says one reason employers are hiring right now is because wages are low.

“Retail jobs and warehousing jobs have gone up. That’s because the wages have fallen a lot. So it doesn’t cost employers a lot to have people at the front lines working and selling things, especially during November and December,” Shanker said.

The unemployment rate in the Louisville metro area increased to 8.3 percent in the month of June, which is a slight uptick, according to the Kentucky Office Of Employment & Training.

The numbers released Thursday show the jobless rate was 8.1 percent in May, but that unemployment is down significantly when compared to the 9.9 percent rate last year. Statistics in the report cover the 13-county metropolitan statistical area that includes surrounding Kentucky counties and Southern Indiana. It shows approximately 53,700 people are unemployed.