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Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary August 2024 unemployment rate saw an increase, according to a report issued Thursday by the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet.

The preliminary August 2024 jobless rate was 4.8 percent, which is up 0.1 percentage points from July 2024 and up 0.6 percentage points from one year ago.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for August 2024 was 4.2 percent, which was down 0.1 percentage points from the 4.3 percent recorded for July 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 2,061,504 in August 2024, an increase of 7,329 individuals from July 2024. The number of people employed in August increased by 4,719 to 1,962,452 while the number unemployed increased by 2,610 to 99,052.

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 decreased by 1,100 jobs to 2,039,300 in August 2024 compared to July 2024. Kentucky’s nonfarm employment was up 18,000 jobs or 0.9% compared to August 2023.

“The household and business surveys suggest that Kentucky’s labor market has loosened over the past few months,” said University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research Director Mike Clark. “On the labor supply side, more workers have entered the labor market over the last six months. Most of these workers appear to be finding employment. However, others are still looking for work and their entry into the labor market has pushed the state’s unemployment rate up. On the demand side, firms have reported having fewer jobs over the past two months.”

Civilian labor force statistics include nonmilitary workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.

Kentucky’s statewide unemployment rate and employment levels are seasonally adjusted. Employment statistics undergo sharp fluctuations due to seasonal events, such as weather changes, harvests, holidays, and school openings and closings. Seasonal adjustments eliminate these influences and make it easier to observe statistical trends. However, due to the small sample size, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.