Unemployment, workforce both down in April

Keith Lawrence, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

May 28—Unemployment rates in the Owensboro area continued to drop in April.

But so did the number of people either working or looking for work in Daviess County.

The state said this week that the local workforce dropped from 47,155 in March to 46,746 in April.

Daviess reported an unemployment rate of 3.2% in April, down from 3.6% in March and 3.9% in April 2021.

Hancock had a 3.3% rate in April, down from 3.6% in March and 3.9% a year earlier.

McLean reported 3.6% unemployment in April, down from 4.2% in March and 3.9% in April 2021.

In Muhlenberg, the rate was 5.2% in April, down from 5.8% in March and 6% a year ago.

And in Ohio, it was 4.4% in April, down from 4.9% in both March and April 2021.

—Keep on eye on Sassafras, the new restaurant that Matt and Dennis Weafer are opening in the former Bill's Restaurant location at 420 Frederica St.

Soft openings have already started and I hear the real opening should come very soon.

—Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union, which has two Owensboro locations, is changing its name.

In September, it will become Liberty Federal Credit Union.

The credit union was founded in 1936 by Evansville educators.

But today, it serves more than 265,000 members with 28 branches in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The name change reflects the now very diverse membership, the company said.

—The Market Edge, a Knoxville, Tennessee, company says Daviess County saw 385 residential building permits in 2021, up 29% from 2020.

The report said that was the most home starts here in more than five years.

But we built fewer 400,000-square-foot or larger homes.

The report said permits were issued for 33 such homes last year, down from 52 the year before.

And it said we had 147 permits for commercial buildings, up from 74 in 2020.

—Food Service Direct recently conducted a survey to rank the best and worst states in which to be a hospitality worker.

Kentucky was ranked as the third-best state — behind North Carolina and New Jersey.

The rankings were based on compensation, cost of living, healthcare benefits, employee recognition, opportunities for growth, COVID-19 benefits and work environment.

—Expect to see some changes at the Walmart on Frederica Street.

The store recently picked up a building permit for a $2.5-million remodel.

—Back in December, Chick-fil-A said it was "actively pursuing a new location in the Owensboro area."

But five months later, the company says, "At this time, we do not have any additional information to share regarding a new location in Owensboro."

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301 klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com