What Kentucky plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 240 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Kentucky, week of October 19, 2026. Each one shows how many postings it rests on; anything with too few is left out.
What most plant jobs ask for
The typical plant posting in Kentucky asks for 6+ years, and 35% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Lean.
- Team leadershipnamed in 42% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 34% of postings
- Leannamed in 26% of postings
- Automationnamed in 24% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 19% of postings
- New product launchnamed in 19% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt16% of postings
- Travel stated8% of postings
Based on 240 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Kentucky do right now.
- Paid relocation19 postings (8%)
- Formal training program12 postings (5%)
- Stated promotion path68 postings (28%)Top
- Tuition help54 postings (23%)
- New plant or launch13 postings (5%)
- Hybrid or remote days6 postings (3%)
- Sign-on bonus3 postings (1%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Sr Technician - Manufacturing Technician/Seibi (Bodyweld) · Toyota North America · Georgetown, KY
Based on 240 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Kentucky.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Principal Welding Manufacturing Engineer · BAE Systems · Louisville, KY · $107k–$183k
Based on 18 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Robotics, 70% of the time it also names Automation. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Robotics → Automation70% (28 postings)
- Robotics → PLC70% (28 postings)
- PLC → Automation60% (26 postings)
Based on 240 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
35% of plant postings in Kentucky require a degree outright. Highest in automotive (52%), lowest in industrial (24%).
- Automotive52% of 75 postingsTop
- Industrial24% of 102 postings
Based on 240 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
28% of plant postings in Kentucky mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in automotive (35%), lowest in industrial (21%).
- Automotive35% of 75 postingsTop
- Industrial21% of 102 postings
Based on 240 postings. Link to this finding
2 more findings for Kentucky
- Physical demands
- How much travel
See all 8 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 240 live plant job postings from 74 manufacturers' own careers sites (Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, iCIMS, Greenhouse and others), not job boards.
- Collected
- Week of October 19, 2026. Postings are re-checked daily; closed roles drop out.
- Method
- Pay is the middle of each posting's listed range for engineer and senior engineer levels, compared within the same team so a different mix of teams can't create a gap. Rates count postings that state the item. Correlation, not cause; findings with too few postings are left out.
Cite this report
ShopFloorJobs, "What Kentucky plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=kentucky
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.