By Claire A. Johnson
NKyTribune intern
Companies in Kentucky plan to hire 5,849 employees this year, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
The optimistic number reflects the variety of future job opportunities awaiting Kentuckians.
“People can find engaging jobs and careers in a broad range of industries, from automotive to aerospace to food and beverage distribution and logistics to primary metals and more,” said Brandon Mattingly, communications specialist for the cabinet.
Those industries are well represented among the state’s top 10 private employers. Public agencies are not considered for this list.
United Parcel Service Inc.
With 43 facilities spread across the state, UPS employs the most people in Kentucky, a total of 12,961 full-time employees. Fourteen of the facilities are based in Louisville. The city houses UPS distribution offices, flight operations administration, shipping and warehouse distribution to add to the wide array of skilled positions. UPS Worldport II led with 4,492 employees in 2014. The automated sorting facility is a worldwide air hub dealing with airline operations, flight simulator training and aircraft maintenance.
Toyota Motor Corp
Toyota Company ranks second, employing 10,929 Kentuckians. Toyota has eight facilities in Kentucky; the largest is located in Georgetown, where 7,600 employees work. The different Toyota facilities manufacture a variety of automobile products, including interior parts, and vehicles such as the Avalon and Camry. Toyota also has a warehouse distribution center in Hebron.
Humana Inc.
Humana has 15 facilities in Kentucky, 13 of them in Louisville. The company employs 9,995 full-time workers, making it the third largest employer in the state. Administrative offices and information technology operations are the product of a majority of Humana locations in the state.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company has two locations, both in Louisville, employing 9,300 workers. The two facilities produce the Ford Escape and the Lincoln MKC, as well as heavy-duty pick-up trucks, the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com employs 7,232 Kentuckians at 11 facilities. Amazon’s fulfillment center for online orders, located in Shepherdsville, has the most employees, 2,200 as of 2013. Four of the 11 facilities are located in Hebron. The locations include fulfillment centers and distribution centers.
Haier
With headquarters in China, Haier has two locations in Louisville that employ 5,946 Kentuckians full-time. The company creates GE appliances. Major household appliances like dryers, washers and refrigerators are manufactured there. The second GE appliance location serves as the distribution center, inbound and outbound call center, and customer financial services.
FMR LLC
Fidelity Investments, based in Covington, employed 3,900 in 2014. The total ranks the company seventh in the state. Fidelity Investments is a financial service that supports Fidelity’s core fund, brokerage and retirement operations. The company’s headquarters are in Boston.
Xerox Corporation
Xerox Corporation has 10 facilities in the state, half of them in Lexington. The corporation employs 3,870 individuals. Most employees work in call center services and mailrooms for the companies acquiring skills for scanning, data entry and software development.
Citigroup
A New York-based company, Citigroup has four locations in Louisville and Florence. Citigroup employs 3,156 individuals in Kentucky. Citigroup businesses in Kentucky are split between credit services and graphic systems. Credit services specialize in financial services, credit card customer service, brokerage services and more. Graphic corporations produce artwork packaging, offset films, printing industries and other skills dealing with image manufacturing.
General Dynamics Information Technology
General Dynamics Information Technology has 2,950 individuals from Kentucky with jobs. Its three locations – Winchester, London and Corbin – are all call center services. London’s location is the primary call center for Medicare/Medicaid services.
Mattingly of the state Economic Development Cabinet said the best representation of Kentucky’s job growth is the state’s unemployment rate. Kentucky dropped as low as 4.9 percent in late 2015, the lowest level since May 2001.
Claire A. Johnson is a journalism senior at the University of Kentucky. She is from Paintsville.