Thread by @BusinessInsider

2021 saw a record high amount of quits.

If the rest of the country is shocked by the labor shortage, Kentucky's is decades in the making.

Here's why it's the epicenter of America's Great Resignation. 👇

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Kentucky's quit rate has been especially high compared to most other states during the pandemic, but it was higher than the national average long before.

"The truth is that something has been amiss for a long time," wrote @KyChamberFdn.

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💼 It's tough to be a worker — and an employer.

Look at Kentucky's minimum wage workers, who have kept earning $7.25 for the past 12 years while the federal minimum hasn't increased and most other states and localities have moved to raise it.

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The labor shortage is slowly pushing wages higher across the country as employers compete for workers, although many recent gains have been overtaken by even higher inflation.

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👩‍👧 Five experts told Insider that the lack of affordable childcare is especially felt in Kentucky.

@KyPolicy found that, from July 2012 to July 2021, the number of childcare centers in Kentucky declined 46%.

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The lack of childcare centers is another consequence of the state's low wages.

Over a quarter of early childcare workers in Kentucky are earning below the poverty line. And the childcare centers that are open are pricey.

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😷 Despite the rollout of vaccinations, it's still a pandemic, especially in Kentucky.

That makes childcare and working with children even harder than it already is.

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Some said they felt uncomfortable returning to work in a state that lingers below the national vaccination rate — about 64% of the state's adults were fully vaccinated compared to 72% nationally, as of Dec. 19.

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💸 Crises like drugs, systemic inequality, and climate change had been swelling under the surface for years, and the pandemic brought them to a head.

Inequities play a role in people's ability to job switch, start businesses, or work remotely.

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In Louisville, around 10% of households don't have internet access, according to research from @GreaterLou.

Black residents are also far less likely than white peers to have high speed internet access.

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Still, there are hopeful signs.

@KyanaWorks director Gritton said a lot of quits are likely people switching to new jobs because "there's so much opportunity in the economy."

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But there's just as much opportunity being held back by deep-seated social problems and the pandemic.

Until those are resolved, the real solution to the labor shortage might be embracing it, as experts are saying that it might be here to stay.

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