Dallas San Francisco Full report The District's economy is still expanding and labor-market conditions are generally considered quite strong. Still, overall price and wage pressures are reported to be light. The jobless rate is very low in a broad corridor running from central Ohio to northern Kentucky. Wage growth is generally steady.
Employment agencies report that the demand for temporary workers has been consistently high.
Clerical and light industrial workers are still in great demand, and a few respondents say that skilled workers in accounting, healthcare, and technical support have also recently become much sought after. Agencies blame tight labor markets for difficulty in finding workers with specialized skills, such as registered nurses and laboratory technicians, and note steady pressure to increase wages. Only minor crop damage was reported following the District's first frost in early October. Some frost damage to immature corn crops was recorded in West Virginia, and soybean crops sustained minimal damage in the Ohio Valley. As of mid-October, corn in Kentucky was fully matured, and 64 percent had been harvested.