News
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.
The lasting impact of federal policy and discrimination on Black workers in the Louisville region
As we celebrate Black History Month and this year’s theme of African Americans and Labor, it’s important to call attention to the policies that limited Black workers’ access to quality employment in the past, and how the impact of those policies can still be seen in the unequal labor market outcomes across our region today.
Spotlight on Job Quality
Labor Day is celebrated to recognize the “social and economic achievements of American workers.” So in celebration of the American worker, and those within the Louisville region in particular, this post will cover job quality. As stated in the KentuckianaWorks mission, dignified work is that which satisfies needs, creates value, and inspires hope.
Economic performance over the last decade, an update from Metro Monitor
The Brookings Institution recently released the 2024 Metro Monitor, an easy-to-use tool to look at how regional economies have been performing over the last decade in five broad categories.
Overall, the Louisville region’s performance was modest, ranking primarily in the middle of the 54 largest metro areas on measures of growth, prosperity, racial inclusion, and geographic inclusion. The region did score relatively high, 5th among metro areas, on measures of overall inclusion.
Economic review of 2023: 5 key takeaways
Five key takeaways about the regional economy in 2023.