Change since January of last year

The region's January economic report showed a slowing economy. The number of people employed fell over the year, as did demand for workers measured by online job postings. The unemployment rate did tick down, but only because people gave up looking for work and were no longer counted in the unemployment calculation at all.

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Slowing population growth in Kentuckiana

The region’s population growth was half of what it was the year prior, due to less migration into the region. Growing just 0.5% between 2024 and 2025, the region gained nearly 7,000 people according to new population estimates from the Census Bureau. The year prior, the region had grown 1.2 percent, a gain of more than 15,000 people. Negative domestic net migration and lower levels of international migration account for the declining growth level. Without international migration, the region would have lost population last year, as natural increase was not high enough to offset the negative domestic net migration.

Employer advice on effective internship programs

A recent Strada-led report draws on employer interviews to understand how internships create value for businesses, and how that value can be strengthened and sustained. These interviews explored how employers leverage internships to address persistent business problems, define and measure program effectiveness relative to investments, and create the organizational conditions needed for success and sustainability. The report outlines the key components of effective internship programs as well as an Internship Value Chain.

Economic growth and immigration 

Brookings is out with a new iteration of their Metro Monitor, this time examining how metro economies have performed over the past decade in relation to the area’s immigration patterns. The study finds economic growth was stronger in regions with rising shares of foreign-born individuals, and improved economic outcomes for foreign-born workers did not diminish outcomes for US-born workers. The Louisville region ranked among the metros with the highest change in foreign-born population share, realizing positive economic returns to international migration.

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.