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Unemployment Up Slightly in November, Still Down from Last Year

By Tony McVeigh

Frankfort, KY – Six of Kentucky's 11 major, non-farm, job sectors saw employment increases last month, but the state's jobless rate still rose to 10.2 percent. That's up from 10 percent in October, but below the November 2009 rate of 10.7 percent. Despite the slight rise in unemployment, state labor analyst Ron Crouch says there's still cause for optimism.

"A large number of the job losses have been in traditionally male employment sectors like construction and manufacturing. And construction, although it had been going down, this last month has increased and it may be the stimulus money is helping out there. But manufacturing, having increased eight out of the last nine months, is certainly encouraging news for us."

1.8 million Kentuckians had jobs last month, but 213,000 remained out of work. The national jobless rate in November was 9.8 percent.