Governor Steve Beshear announced Oct. 23 Kentucky ranked second in the nation for job growth over the past year, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Current Employment Statistics.
The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary, released Oct 19, reported Kentucky’s net job growth from September 2011 to September 2012 was 2.6 percent, second best in the nation behind only North Dakota’s 5.6 percent growth.
“This ranking is an extraordinary accomplishment for our state and our outstanding workforce. My administration has been working tirelessly over the past five years to create and grow jobs in the Commonwealth, and this announcement shows we are outrunning our competitors,” Beshear said. “We are making progress, but we still have work to do. We will never stop pushing for more jobs and a stronger economy for the Commonwealth.”
Kentucky’s jobs growth was more than double the Kentucky competitor state average of 1.1 percent. Kentucky’s competitor states, listed in order of ranking, include Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi and West Virginia.
From Sept. 2011 to Sept. 2012, 47,000 jobs were created in Kentucky. Some of the new jobs created over the past year stem from growth at companies such as General Electric, Ford and CaféPress in Louisville; DHL and ZF Steering in Northern Kentucky; Tempur-Pedic in Lexington; New York Blower in Leitchfield; Bruss North America in Russell Springs; Magna Seating in Shepherdsville; Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg; and Akebono Brake in Glasgow.
Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary, Larry Hayes, said the numbers show the Commonwealth is heading in the right direction.
“The Cabinet for Economic Development will do everything in our power to keep growing jobs here,” Hayes said . “Keep in mind that North Dakota’s employment is booming because of the recent discovery of new oil and gas fields. In Kentucky, our job growth is across multiple sectors, in small businesses and large businesses. That gives a lot of folks opportunities in Kentucky, and these numbers show our state is a perfect location to do business.”
