Monthly State Unemployment Rate Continues Decline

Release Date: 5/27/2015

Contact: Grace Johnson • Phone: 402-471-4189 • E-mail: grace.johnson@nebraska.gov

 

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for April is 2.5 percent, seasonally adjusted. The jobless rate is down 0.1 percentage points from the March rate of 2.6 percent and down 0.9 percentage points from the April 2014 rate of 3.4 percent.

“Employment in Nebraska was very strong in April, with total nonfarm employment exceeding one million and both the Omaha and Lincoln metropolitan areas achieving new record highs for non-farm jobs,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin.

Nebraska’s total nonfarm employment reached 1,003,662, up by over 10,888 from March and up 10,276 year over year. Private industries with the most growth year over year were education and health services (up 4,964), other services (up 1,758) and financial activities (up 1,640).  Month to month, the largest gains were seen in mining and construction (up 3,347); trade, transportation and utilities (up 1,715); and leisure and hospitality (up 1,475).

The seasonally-adjusted national unemployment rate in March was 5.4 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from the March rate of 5.5 percent and down 0.8 percentage points from the March 2014 rate of 6.2 percent.

May 2015 data will be published Friday, June 19.

 

Labor Force Estimates - National, State, Omaha MSA, Lincoln MSA

 

Labor Force Estimates - National (Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Prelim

Revised

 

Changes Since

 

Apr-15

Mar-15

Apr-14

Mar-15

Apr-14

Unemployment Rate

5.4

5.5

6.2

-0.1

-0.8

           
           

Labor Force Estimates - Nebraska (Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Prelim

Revised

 

Changes Since

 

Apr-15

Mar-15

Apr-14

Mar-15

Apr-14

Unemployment Rate

2.5

2.6

3.4

-0.1

-0.9

           

    Labor Force

1,015,044

1,016,982

1,022,571

-1,938

-7,527

Unemployment

25,488

26,224

34,676

-736

-9,188

       Employment

989,556

990,758

987,895

-1,202

1,661

 

 

 

 

         

Labor Force Estimates - Omaha MSA (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Prelim

Revised

 

Changes Since

 

Apr-15

Mar-15

Apr-14

Mar-15

Apr-14

Unemployment Rate

2.8

3.1

3.5

-0.3

-0.7

           

    Labor Force

479,015

478,313

479,414

702

-399

Unemployment

13,361

14,832

16,840

-1,471

-3,479

       Employment

465,654

463,481

462,574

2,173

3,080

           
           

Labor Force Estimates - Lincoln MSA (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Prelim

Revised

 

Changes Since

 

Apr-15

Mar-15

Apr-14

Mar-15

Apr-14

Unemployment Rate

2.1

2.3

2.8

-0.2

-0.7

           

    Labor Force

179,707

179,959

179,600

-252

107

Unemployment

3,857

4,182

5,051

-325

-1,194

       Employment

175,850

175,777

174,549

73

1,301

 

 

Labor Force Estimates - Grand Island MSA (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Prelim

Revised

 

Changes Since

 

Apr-15

Mar-15

Apr-14

Mar-15

Apr-14

Unemployment Rate

2.6

2.9

3.1

-0.3

-0.5

           

Labor Force

44,338

44,702

44,657

-364

-319

Unemployment

1,172

1,310

1,370

-138

-198

Employment

43,166

43,392

43,287

-226

-121

 

NOTE: Data is revised on a monthly basis.  Data for previous years is benchmarked annually and is subject to change. MSAs represent Metropolitan Statistical Areas.  Seasonally-adjusted data for the Omaha MSA and the Lincoln MSA is available about two weeks following this release.  The seasonally-adjusted data can be obtained at http://www.bls.gov/lau/metrossa.htm or http://neworks.nebraska.gov/analyzer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MC)

Counties included

Apr-15

Mar-15

   

Preliminary

Revised

Beatrice MC

Gage

3.2

3.5

Columbus MC

Platte

2.3

2.5

Fremont MC

Dodge

2.7

2.9

Hastings MC*

Adams

2.6

2.9

Kearney MC

Buffalo, Kearney

2.0

2.1

Lexington MC

Dawson, Gosper

2.7

2.9

Norfolk MC

Madison, Pierce, Stanton

2.2

2.5

North Platte MC

Lincoln, Logan, McPherson

2.5

2.7

Scottsbluff MC

Scotts Bluff, Banner, Sioux

2.8

3.2

Red Willow SA (Small Labor Market Area)

Red Willow, Hitchcock

2.2

2.3

 

               *Hastings MC is a single county MC in 2015 (Clay County was dropped).

 

 

Prepared and distributed by Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL)

The next scheduled release is May 2015 data on Friday, June 19, 2015.