LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for May was 3.0 percent, seasonally adjusted.  The rate is the same as the April rate and has been unchanged since June of 2015.  The rate is up 0.1 percentage points over May of 2015.

“May was another month of strong employment growth in Nebraska, while unemployment claims continued to decline,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin.  “Growth occurred across the metropolitan areas and in numerous industries.”

Nonfarm employment grew by 9,062 over the month and by 14,636 over the year. Private industries with the most growth year over year were leisure and hospitality (up 5,322), education and health services (up 5,069), and professional and business services (up 1,652). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in leisure and hospitality (up 3,252); mining and construction (up 2,567); and trade, transportation and utilities (up 1,286).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 4.7 percent, down by 0.3 percentage points over the month and down 0.8 percentage points from the May 2015 rate of 5.5 percent.

June 2016 data will be published Friday, July 22.