Kentucky’s preliminary July unemployment rate rose slightly to a seasonally adjusted 5.2 percent from a revised 5.1 percent in June 2015, and remained below the national rate, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

The state rate in July 2015 was 1 percentage point below the 6.2 percent rate recorded in July 2014.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 5.3 percent from June 2015 to July 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. It is designed to measure trends rather than to count the actual number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and those classified as self-employed.

In July 2015, Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 1,959,681, a decline of 20,080 individuals compared to the previous month. Employment was down by 21,382, and the number of unemployed increased by 1,302. Read More