By Jacqueline Pitts, The Bottom Line
Ahead of the 2019 legislative session, Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson laid out the priorities of the business community and discussed the organization’s efforts on workforce issues in the state as well as the attitude of business leaders on the economy since the recession in a segment of WKYT’s Kentucky Newsmakers.
The Kentucky Chamber recently released a report measuring the state’s economic strengths and weaknesses since the 2008 recession. Adkisson said the report shows Kentucky’s jobs, population and wages are growing, but there are areas of Kentucky’s economy that are lagging behind. Read the full report here.
Along the same lines, Adkisson discussed the results of a recent survey of business leaders conducted by the Chamber. Regarding business confidence in Kentucky and the direction of the state, 63 percent of respondents said Kentucky was on the “right track” compared to only 49 percent who responded the same way in 2015.
“There is an optimism about business conditions being good, the economy expanding and overall growth still coming out of the recession,” Adkisson said.
When discussing the struggles of Kentucky employers in finding the workforce they need, Adkisson pointed to the initiatives of the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center that bring together business and education systems to connect people with jobs.
Adkisson said education and training is the solution for workforce needs, previewing the release of a report calling for transformational changes to improve Kentucky’s education attainment and workforce quality by the Business-Education Roundtable on Monday, Dec. 3.
Looking ahead to the 2019 legislative session, Adkisson discussed the business community’s legislative priorities including additional reforms to the tax code, investment in infrastructure, legislation to address workforce issues, sports wagering and more.
Click here to watch the Kentucky Newsmakers segment.
Add Comment