Ky. jobless rate rises for third straight month
Kentucky jobless rate in July rises slightly to 8.5 percent, marking third straight month
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent in July as the state's civilian labor force shrank, marking the third straight monthly increase in the jobless rate.
The Office of Employment and Training said Thursday that the statewide rate rose slightly from 8.4 percent in June.
The jobless rate has risen every month since April, when unemployment stood at 7.9 percent.
The national unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 percent in July, down from 7.6 percent the prior month.
In July, the state's civilian labor force was nearly 2.1 million, a drop of 8,799 from June.
Some sectors gained jobs in July, including the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which picked up 2,600 jobs.
The state's manufacturing sector grew by 1,500 positions in July.
The government sector lost 1,600 jobs in July.
