LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for October is 2.9 percent, seasonally adjusted. The jobless rate is the same as the September rate and down 0.2 percentage points from the October 2014 rate of 3.1 percent.

"November was another month of strong job growth for our state," said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. "The increase in total non-farm employment is above the average increase for the last five years."

Nonfarm employment in October was 1,017,301, up by 12,116 compared to last October. Private industries with the most growth year over year were education and health services (up 5,655), financial activities (up 2,156), and other services (up 1,852). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in trade, transportation and utilities (up 3,603), professional and business services (up 2,634) and education and health services (up 2,464).

The seasonally-adjusted national unemployment rate for October is 5.0 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from the September rate and down 0.7 percentage points from the October 2014 rate of 5.7 percent.

November 2015 data will be published Friday, December 18.