Lexington Employment Sector Data Research

Lexington Employment Sector Data Research Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government Abstract The Lexington/Fayette Urban County Government issued a request for proposals to study several issues related to Lexington’s employment and workforce. The University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) proposes studying these issues using various methods and data from several sources. First, CBER will analyze employment trends using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Census Bureau. The analysis will provide a detailed description of how Lexington’s employment and wages have change since 1990 across industrial sectors. CBER will examine how remote work could affect Lexington’s economy by estimating the number of Lexington jobs that could be performed remotely and are filled by non-residents. CBER will review the research literature related to automation and labor. Findings will be applied to data on Lexington’s workforce to examine how automation could displace some jobs in Lexington and create other jobs. Second, CBER will describe Lexington’s workforce using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. This analysis will describe the characteristics of Lexington’s workforce, the skills and education requirements for occupations in Lexington, the commuting patterns for Lexington’s workforce, and the migration of workers into Lexington. CBER will also describe the factors and barriers that affect labor force participation in Lexington. Finally, CBER will examine how hypothetical expansions in 10 industrial sectors could affect Lexington’s economy, tax revenues, and government expenditures.