The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for September is 2.8 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is unchanged from the August 2018 rate of 2.8 percent and is down 0.1 percentage points from the September 2017 rate of 2.9 percent.

“Manufacturing contributed to another strong month of employment numbers, with a 5 percent statewide employment increase in manufacturing over the year,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin.  “In the Omaha metropolitan area, manufacturing jumped over 9 percent over the year.”

Nonfarm employment was 1,037,445, up 18,065 over the year and up 4,148 over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were manufacturing (up 4,906), leisure and hospitality (up 4,736), and professional and business services (up 4,374). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in professional and business services (up 982), manufacturing (up 448), and education and health services (up 48).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 3.7 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the August 2018 rate of 3.9 percent and down 0.5 percentage points from the September 2017 rate of 4.2 percent.

For more September data, go to dol.nebraska.gov/InfoLink.  Nonfarm employment data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/CES and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/LAUS.

October 2018 data is scheduled for release on Friday, November 16, 2018.