ASHLAND —
Numbers can be misleading. Such is the case with news that Kentucky’s unemployment rate for July was 9.9 percent, the first time it has fallen below 10 percent since February of 2009.
So that’s good news, right? Well, not exactly.
Kentucky’s jobless rate dropped last month, not because more people were working in the state but because the job market was so weak that more people had quit even looking for work. The U.S. Department of Labor only counts those who are actively looking for work as being unemployed.
Ron Crouch, director of research and statistics in the Office of Employment and Training, says the number of unemployed Kentuckians who ceased looking for work in July increased so much that the size of the state’s workforce actually dropped so much during the month that the unemployment rate declined even though the number of Kentuckians with jobs also dropped.
Now that’s what we call a misleading statistic. A lower unemployment rate looks like a positive — until you take a closer look at the numbers.
When more employers do begin hiring again, we suspect the number of Kentuckians actively looking for jobs will increase, which could make the unemployment rate increase even though more are working.
So, are you confused now? Well, maybe that’s the point of the government releasing statistics that confuse more than they enlighten.
Editorials
Not so positive
Unemployment figures show how misleading they can be
- Editorials
-
-
Focus on music
There will be no new trophies for winning marching band competitions for the Boyd County High School band. Nor will band members be spending as many summer days in the hot sun in band camp and autumn Saturdays taking long bus drives to compete in band festivals in distant communities.
-
Memorial Day
Unlike our other wars, the American people were never asked to sacrifice for the war in Iraq and the one still ongoing in Afghanistan. They have been wars fought by an all-voluntary military and by the “weekend soldiers” in the National Guard and in the Army, Navy and Air Force Reserve
-
Still more cuts
If you believe the cuts mandated by the two-year state budget that will take effect July 1 will have little impact on services, consider this.
-
Earmarks again?
Immediately, following the midterm elections of 2010 which saw Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives and capture seats in the U.S. Senate, Republican leaders in Congress announced they had heard the voice of the voters and vowed to cease using “earmarks,” the name given to appropriations slipped into bills by influential legislators without a vote.
-
Best in the nation
It may surprise many readers that Newsweek’s “best high school in America” is located right here in Kentucky and is open to selected students throughout the state, but then the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green is hardly your typical high school. In fact, it would be impossible for even the best public high schools to emulate the amazing success of students at the Gatton Academy.
-
After the vote
We offer today a few reflections on the messages voters sent in Tuesday’s primary election in Kentucky.
-
A mild winter
As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, long hailed as the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, we pause to reflect upon the winter that wasn’t.
-
Devices banned
Emergency breathing devices that tests have proven unreliable are being phased out under a directive issued by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. However, MSHA has given mine operators more than 18 months to remove all the air packs from underground mines.
-
A free weekend
In an effort to promote increased recreational use of the two lakes in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service will offer free fishing and boating during the first weekend in June.
-
Ho-hum election
Psst! Want to know a secret? There’s a primary election Tuesday. And it’s right here in Kentucky! However, there has been so little interest in this election, that Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, the state’s top election official, is predicting that only betwixen 10 and 12 percent of the state’s eligible voters will take the time to go to the polls tomorrow.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
Focus on music
90 Guns Seized, Dozens Arrested in Oakland
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Judge's Ruling Halts Tenn. Mosque Construction
Romney in Las Vegas on Texas Primary Day
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
