How much does it cost to just get by in your community?

Many workers in low-wage jobs do not earn enough to meet their basic needs in the community in which they live. Researchers at MIT developed the Living Wage Calculator using current data and covering modern-day expenses, to provide communities with an understanding of how much it costs a full-time worker to meet their basic needs. The living wage is the minimum threshold needed to maintain economic self-sufficiency without the use of public assistance programs and without facing severe housing or food insecurity.

January snapshot for the Kentuckiana region

Change since January of last year

The economy continued to show signs of softening entering 2025. The unemployment rate remained above 4%, consistent with the trend throughout 2024. The increase in the unemployment rate was primarily driven by growth in the size of the labor force, rather than layoffs. The size of the labor force in January 2025 was the largest recorded for the month of January. However, demand for workers did not keep pace, as evidenced by a slight decrease in online job postings.

Labor Market Dashboard

What’s in a name? Defining the Kentuckiana region

The KentuckianaWorks’ Labor Market Intelligence office focuses its coverage area on the Kentuckiana region, a 13-county footprint that reflects the service regions of Southern Indiana Works and KentuckianaWorks, and is recognized by the Department of Labor as a regional planning unit. Due to recent changes in metropolitan area definitions, this will now entail a subtle shift away from the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), a unit defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget.

Is your organization interested in upskilling foreign-born employees?

We can help empower and develop the international talent in your workforce at no cost to you

For a limited time, KentuckianaWorks is offering assistance to employers interested in training foreign-born employees in Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties.

If limited English or other job skills training needs are keeping your foreign-born workers from thriving in your industry, KentuckianaWorks can assist with curriculum development and design, training implementation, personalized employee goal setting, coaching, and skill assessment.

For more information, contact Edgardo Mansilla at edgardo.mansilla@kentuckianaworks.org.

Workforce Radar

Sharing insightful news and research wherever we may find it.

Boomerang migration

The Cleveland Fed measured boomerang migration, the extent to which people born in a region move away, but then later move back. In the Louisville region, 29% of people who move away come back, slightly higher than the national rate of boomerang migration, at 28%. However, the authors find that boomerang migrants have a relatively limited impact on the overall population level.

Instability in low-wage labor market

New research from the Brookings Institution shows that low-income workers face the most significant instability in both earnings and work hours compared to other income groups. These workers experience highly variable wages, often due to unpredictable shifts, inconsistent hours, and volatile demand in sectors like retail and food service. This instability contributes to financial insecurity and limits their ability to plan or save, making it more difficult to escape poverty.

AI job creation

The Louisville region ranked 51st among metro areas for new AI job creation, according to the AI Job Tracker from the University of Maryland. This amounts to a monthly average of 37 AI job postings in the last 12 months, 10% of tech job postings.

The Labor Market Update is a monthly report produced by KentuckianaWorks, the Louisville region's Workforce Development Board. The report gives Louisville's policymakers and business leaders an overview of the local economy through powerful visuals and concise analysis.

KentuckianaWorks | kentuckianaworks.org