Advertisement

firehouse pizza banner

Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Releases December 2018 Unemployment Report

FRANKFORT-- Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary December 2018 unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The unemployment rate for December 2018 was down from the 4.5 percent reported for November 2018.

The preliminary December 2018 jobless rate was down 0.1 percentage points from the 4.5 percent recorded for the state in December 2017.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December 2018 was 3.9 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from its November 2018 level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. The survey is designed to measure trends in the number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and individuals who are self-employed.

Kentucky civilian labor force decreased by 1,584 individuals in December 2018, bringing the state’s labor force to 2,074,067. The number of people employed in December was up by 45, while the number unemployed decreased by 1,629.

In a separate federal survey of business establishments that excludes jobs in agriculture and people who are self-employed, Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 4,500 jobs in December 2018 compared to November 2018. Kentucky has added 21,300 jobs since December 2017, a 1.1 percent employment growth.

“The two surveys used to measure employment trends provided mixed results for December,” said University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) Associate Director Mike Clark, Ph.D. “While the household survey suggests that employment was basically unchanged from November to December, the business establishment survey showed that firms added 4,500 jobs to their payrolls. Although the surveys often provide a different indication of how employment changed during a given month, they generally show similar trends over time.”

Nonfarm data is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. According to this survey, six of Kentucky’s 11 major nonfarm North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) job sectors saw employment increases from the previous month while three declined and two were unchanged.

 

 

Tags: 


Bookmark and Share

Advertisements