LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The baby boomer generation is approaching retirement, threatening workforce participation in Kentucky and across the country.
A Kentucky Chamber of Commerce presentation to lawmakers Monday morning showed there's a high number of baby boomers starting to retire and not a comparable amount of young people entering the workforce.
The suggestion to fix the problem: make Kentucky more competitive to people in other states.
KY WORKFORCE | Ky Chamber of Commerce reports workforce participation still hasn’t rebounded after the pandemic. Demand for workers remains ⬆️ and competition from other states also ⬆️ @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/J4LduOyR7E
— Monica Harkins WDRB (@MonicaHarkinstv) July 31, 2023
"One of the things we can do is that we can pick off their workers," said Charles Aull with the chamber. "We can pick off more of their workers and make the problem less severe in Kentucky than it is elsewhere. One of the challenges with that is we don't have a great track record with that so far."
Among many recommendations, the chamber suggested lawmakers make better tax incentives, improve access to affordable childcare, improve re-entry for workers after incarceration and reduce substance abuse disorders. You can see the full presentation below:
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