FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary June 2018 unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The unemployment rate for June 2018 was up from the 4.1 percent reported for May 2018.

Civilian labor force statistics include nonmilitary workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.

Kentucky’s statewide unemployment rate and employment levels are seasonally adjusted. Employment statistics undergo sharp fluctuations due to seasonal events, such as weather changes, harvests, holidays and school openings and closings. Seasonal adjustments eliminate these influences and make it easier to observe statistical trends. However, because of the small sample size, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The preliminary June 2018 jobless rate was down 0.9 percentage from the 5.1 percent recorded for the state in June 2017.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for June 2018 was 4 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the 3.8 percent reported for May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.