Kentucky is reporting a slight decline in its jobless rate in September despite a major loss of manufacturing jobs.
The Office of Employment and Training released new unemployment figures on Thursday showing the jobless rate at 8.4 percent. That's down from 8.5 percent in August.
The biggest employment gains were in the state's trade, transportation and utilities sector, which added 7,500 jobs in September. The leisure and hospitality sector grew by 1,800 jobs. And the government sector workforce expanded by 700 jobs. The number of construction jobs increased by 600 for the month.
The manufacturing sector loss 2,000 jobs in September. Labor market analyst Manoj Shanker said that's largely due to the outsourcing of some factory jobs, including clerical and custodial services, to temporary workers.
