By Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky's jobless rate has dropped below double digits for the first time in more than two years.
The state Office of Employment and Training said Thursday the unemployment rate fell to 9.8 percent in May, down from 10 percent a month earlier. The jobless rate was 10.4 percent in May 2010.
Last month's rate matches the February 2009 rate.
Despite the lower rate, labor market analyst Justine Detzel says nonfarm employment was weighed down by supply disruptions due to the tsunami in Japan along with high food and gas prices.
The state says the leisure and hospitality sector added 700 jobs. But other sectors reported drops, including the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which plummeted by 1,300 jobs.