Employment Trends and Rates
Unemployment in Kentucky inched downwards this month:
Kentucky's unemployment rate fell to 10 percent in April, down from 10.2 percent a month earlier.
The state added 3,800 jobs in the month, as "Kentucky's economy continued to show signs of improvement in April 2011 led by strength in the manufacturing sector," said Justine Detzel, chief labor market analyst for the state Office of Employment and Training.
The state's unemployment rate in April continued to outpace the national rate of 9 percent, which increased from 8.8 percent in March. Since February 2009, Kentucky's jobless rate has been below 10 percent just once, in July 2010.
For the month, Kentucky's job gains came in eight of the 11 major industries.
Leading the gains was the manufacturing sector, which added 2,500 jobs. Since April 2010, employment in the manufacturing sector has climbed by 5,700 positions.
Kentucky's trend reflects the national trend. Three-quarters of states saw decreases in unemployment in April.
The unemployment rate fell last month in more than three-quarters of nation's states, evidence that companies are feeling more confident in the U.S. economy.
The Labor Department says the unemployment rate dropped in 39 states in April. That's an improvement from March when 34 states had reported decreases. The rate rose in three states and the District of Columbia. It was unchanged in eight states.
Employers added workers in 42 states. Only eight states and the District of Columbia lost jobs last month.
Nationally, businesses have added more than 250,000 jobs per month, on average, in the past three months. It's the fastest hiring spree in five years. The unemployment rate has dropped nearly a full percentage point since November. Still, it remains very high at 9 percent.
250,000 jobs per month is 100,000 jobs above the 150,000 level necessary to keep up with population growth and keep unemployment from increasing.
