LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a new report, the Kentucky Chamber said 82% of the jobs lost during the coronavirus pandemic have been recovered, but there’s still more work to do.
The report found that even though 38,000 jobs were added to the labor force in 2021, the Bluegrass State is still about 22,000 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.
Roughly 300,000 jobs were lost in the first initial months of the pandemic and unemployment spiked.
Ashli Watts, president and CEO, said we still have a long way to go even after the state gets its workforce back to pre-pandemic levels.
“Progress is always good news, especially when it comes to Kentucky’s economic recovery, which has been the Chamber’s focus for the last two years now,” Watts said. “But we still have a ways to go. Even after we get our workforce back to pre-pandemic levels, Kentucky will continue to trail much of the nation when it comes to workforce participation and employment rates. The Chamber is fully committed to policies and programs aimed at building a robust, competitive workforce.”
The report also showed last quarter that December’s unemployment rate was 4.6%. The previous estimate was 3.9%
To read the quarterly report in full, click here.
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