FRANKFORT, Ky. — Unemployment across the commonwealth for the month of September edged down a bit to 10.9 percent compared with the 11.2 percent jobless rate in August, according to Kentucky’s Office of Employment and Training.
Still, September’s unemployment rate was well above Kentucky’s jobless rate for the same period in 2008. The 10.9 percent seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate recorded last month was a full 4 percentage points higher than the 6.9 percent rate recorded in September 2008.
“Kentucky's economy continued to struggle under the weight of the recession, suffering the biggest monthly employment decline and the largest number of year-over-year job losses on records dating back to January 1990. The drop in the unemployment rate reflects individuals who have faced long-term unemployment becoming discouraged and dropping out of the labor force,” Dr. Justine Detzel, chief labor market analyst for the office, said in a news release.
The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose from 9.7 percent in August 2009 to 9.8 percent in September 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The 9.8 percent rate was 1.1 percentage points below the 10.9 percent rate recorded in Kentucky in September 2009.
Last month, Kentucky’s construction sector added 400 positions in September 2009 – a turnaround for a section that since September 2008 had seen the loss of 16,500 jobs, according to the office, which is n agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
“This is the first increase in the number of jobs in the construction sector since April 2009, reflecting the start of multiple commercial and public works construction projects,” Detzel said.
