How many job openings are there in Kentucky?
Data updated December 4, 2024
About 128 thousand, as of September 2024. The number of job openings increased by 5,000 from September 2023. A “job opening” is defined as a position open on the last business day of the month. To be considered “open,” a job must meet three conditions: (1) There’s work available for the position; (2) The job could start within 30 days; and (3) The employer is actively recruiting.
Showing data for
128K
job openings in Kentucky (September 2024)
5K
more unfilled jobs in Kentucky in September 2024 than in September 2023
The number of job openings is one measure of employer demand for workers and is a commonly referred-to economic indicator. An increase in the number of job openings often indicates the economy is growing, while a decline may indicate slowed growth.
The number of job openings in Kentucky has declined over the last year.
Monthly job openings (seasonally adjusted) in Kentucky, December 2000–September 2024
Following the Great Recession, monthly job openings in Kentucky increased from 41,000 in January 2010 to 86,000 in February 2020. By April 2020, job openings had dropped to 71,000. Job openings in Kentucky then reached all-time highs during recovery from the COVID-19 recession. In September 2024, there were 128,000 job openings, up 4.1% from one year prior.
The job openings rate is another way to consider this data. It tells us what percentage of all jobs, filled and unfilled, were open during a given time period. This allows for better comparisons across time, industries, and places by adjusting for differences in the size of the working population.
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A higher share of jobs were open in Kentucky than in the US overall in September.
Job openings rate (seasonally adjusted), September 2024
In September 2024, 5.9% of all jobs in Kentucky were unfilled. This was 1.5 percentage points higher than the job openings rate US-wide.
Job openings also differ across states and regions for many reasons, including differing economies and dominating industries. Kentucky’s September job openings rate was higher than 46 states, plus Washington, DC.
In September 2024, Kentucky's job openings rate was higher than 46 states.
Seasonally adjusted job openings rate by state, September 2024
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
