LOUISVILLE — A study funded by KentuckianaWorks touts that the Louisville Metro Statistical Area is seeing encouraging employment signs.
The region has the lowest unemployment rate, the most jobs and the highest inflation-adjusted wages since the onset of the Great Recession, the study titled The State of Louisville Regional Labor Market claims.
“This is welcome news, and continuing evidence that our local economy is strengthening and heading in the right direction,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer stated in a news release issued Friday. “There’s still much work to do and adding this quarterly reporting of data will help us stay focused and improve our efforts in creating jobs and elevating wages.”
The region’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in September, which is down 2 percentage points from September 2013, according to the report. The Louisville MSA added 8,884 jobs over that span, and more than 22,000 people were working at the time of the study as opposed to 2009.
The area includes Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties in Kentucky, and Floyd, Clark, Harrison, Scott and Washington counties in Indiana.
“Jobs will continue to be our primary focus as we share resources for employment and professional development with the people of this region,” stated KentuckianaWorks Executive Director Michael Gritton in the news release.