KY Jobless Rate Up In June

Kentucky’s unemployment rate climbed again in June to 6.3%-compared to the national average of 5.5%. More Kentuckians are looking for jobs mainly because of losses in the manufacturing sector—including the automobile industry. The unemployment numbers also include those affected by the housing slump, such as furniture and appliance manufacturers. State labor analyst Justine Detzel says some of those jobs are gone for good.“There are a number of companies that have moved work overseas in the last year that are laying off workers because they’re trying to find cheaper labor elsewhere. But sometime’s it’s just a temporary layoff and then they’ll return to work a month or two later," says Detzel.Manufacturers have shed nearly 11,000 jobs since this time last year. Some employment sectors have added jobs in Kentucky, including retail, transportation, and utilities. Indiana’s unemployment rate also climbed more than a percent to 5.8%.On the Web: From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a tableshowing current unemployment rates by state, including historical highs and lows.