State Jobless Rate Up to 8.3 Percent in July

Kentucky's unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in July from 8.2 percent a month earlier, the state announced Thursday. The rate matched the national unemployment measure, which also rose from 8.2 percent in June. "The recent numbers reflect payback after stronger-than-usual hiring in the early part of the year due to warmer than normal temperatures," said Manoj Shanker, economist with the state Office of Employment and Training. "A single-month uptick in the unemployment rate is not enough cause to speculate if the hiring environment has weakened."