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Kentucky jobs and job market: layoffs, colleges and workforce help

Kentucky’s unemployment rate is 4.7%. 4,125 open professional jobs are listed here. Employers filed 34 layoff notices in the last 12 months. Choose a county or city for the same picture closer to home.

Kentucky economy

  • 4.7%

    unemployment, Aug 2026

    4.5% the month before

  • 2,109,516

    in the labor force

    Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

  • 4,510,725

    people in Kentucky

    Source: U.S. Census Bureau

  • $62,417

    median household income

    Source: Census ACS

  • 37%

    of workers in white-collar occupations

    Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Kentucky layoffs

  • 34

    WARN layoff notices, last 12 months

  • 4,508

    workers named

    A floor: states may leave out counts

  • 26

    employers

WARN notices filed in Kentucky, newest first
Notice dateEmployerCity or countyWorkersTypeSource
RNDC of Kentucky, LLCTakes effect Oct 12, 2026Jefferson County - Louisville206—State record
SMBC ManubankTakes effect Aug 10, 2026SMBC Manubank1ClosureState record
Battelle Memorial Institute E3Takes effect Jul 23, 2026Madison1ClosureState record
GeodisTakes effect Jul 10, 2026Boone73—State record
Levi StraussTakes effect Jun 30, 2026Boone303ClosureState record
Carrier CorporationTakes effect Jun 12, 2026Simpson70ClosureState record
ConduentTakes effect Jun 29, 2026Jefferson County - Louisville24—State record
Congo Brands (Alani, Prime, 3D Energy)Takes effect Jun 26, 2026Jefferson28—State record
RNDC of Kentucky, LLCTakes effect Jun 18, 2026Jefferson County - Louisville174ClosureState record
VestisTakes effect Jun 16, 2026Fayette32ClosureState record

All layoff notices in the state

Get an email when a new notice is filed for Kentucky

One email a day at most, only when there is something new. No account needed.

Employers hiring most in Kentucky

Employers with the most open professional roles on our job board right now.

  1. Jabil80 open roles
  2. Deloitte56 open roles
  3. Amazon54 open roles
  4. Humana48 open roles
  5. University of Pikeville39 open roles
  6. Norton Healthcare38 open roles
  7. Sazerac36 open roles
  8. Humana Government Business35 open roles
  9. Lumen32 open roles
  10. Churchill Downs31 open roles
  11. Confidential25 open roles
  12. Charter Communications23 open roles

Largest employers headquartered in Kentucky

Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.

Higher education in Kentucky

  • 34

    public and private nonprofit colleges

    Source: IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education

  • about 311,500

    students enrolled

    Estimated from size bands

Largest colleges in Kentucky

Largest colleges in Kentucky
CollegeCityTypeStudents
University of KentuckyLexingtonPublic 4-year20,000+
University of LouisvilleLouisvillePublic 4-year20,000+
University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburgPrivate nonprofit 4-year20,000+
Campbellsville UniversityCampbellsvillePrivate nonprofit 4-year10,000–19,999
Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
Murray State UniversityMurrayPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland HeightsPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling GreenPublic 4-year10,000–19,999
Morehead State UniversityMoreheadPublic 4-year5,000–9,999
Asbury Theological SeminaryWilmorePrivate nonprofit 4-year1,000–4,999
Asbury UniversityWilmorePrivate nonprofit 4-year1,000–4,999
Bellarmine UniversityLouisvillePrivate nonprofit 4-year1,000–4,999

All 34 Kentucky colleges

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Kentucky. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

73 American Job Centers in Kentucky

Job fairs and business events in Kentucky

Hiring events, career workshops, small-business counseling and startup events from chambers, job centers, workforce boards, colleges and economic-development groups in Kentucky.

Conferences in Kentucky

Industry conferences and trade shows held in Kentucky, the ones worth a trip for hiring managers and job seekers. 14 with dates announced.

All conferences

Kentucky counties

Each county page has its own unemployment, layoffs, job openings, employers, colleges and job centers.

Kentucky cities

Cities with open jobs, layoff notices, a job center or a college.

Laid off or looking for work in Kentucky?

See what to do first, what Kentucky unemployment benefits pay, and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS for population, income and unemployment; WARN notices from Kentucky’s published record; job counts from our live job board, taken from employers’ own career sites; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Kentucky unemployment benefits.