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April unemployment figures show drop in nearly two-thirds of Kentucky counties

Kentucky's unemployment rate for April dropped in 78 of the state's 120 counties.
Kentucky's unemployment rate for April dropped in 78 of the state's 120 counties.

Kentucky’s April unemployment statistics were released Friday and show the jobless rate fell, compared to a year ago, in nearly two-thirds of the state’s counties. Mike Clark is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at U-K’s Gatton College of Business and Economics.

“We continue to have a very strong tight labor market, there seems to be very strong demand for workers on the part of employee, employers, employers are continuing to expand their payrolls.”

According to the Kentucky Center for Statistics, Kentucky’s April unemployment rate rose in 25 counties and stayed the same in 17 others. Clark said several industries look especially good.

“Payroll employment has increased, for example, in manufacturing, very well here in the last few months for Kentucky, and that's well, not only in a historic term, but also relative to the rest of the United States.”

Ten eastern Kentucky counties had the top unemployment rates in April, with Magoffin the highest at 8.5 percent. Woodford County had the lowest, at 2.4 percent.

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John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
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