Chamber report cites drawbacks, strengths in state quest for economic growth

This from the Kentucky Chamber Blog:

Kentucky has serious work to do to become a more competitive place to do business and achieve economic prosperity, according to a new report from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Ready for Jobs? examines how Kentucky compares to other states on key indicators of a competitive business environment and finds the state coming up short in such areas as health, education and tort liability but performing relatively well in business taxation and the cost of doing business.

The report, which includes recommendations for improvement, also addresses the importance of protecting and promoting such key sectors as coal, bourbon, manufacturing and the equine industry...

Under the heading Education:

Strengths:

• Significant progress in increasing college enrollment and the number of degrees awarded
• Dramatic improvement in national ranking on key education indicators, including K-12 achievement

Weaknesses:

• Low overall education attainment
• ACT scores trail national average