The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for November was 3.1 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate was unchanged from the October 2019 rate of 3.1 percent. The unemployment rate is up 0.3 percentage points from the November 2018 rate of 2.8 percent.

"For the eleventh straight month, the number of employed Nebraskans reached a record level," said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. "November was also the third month of 2019 that employment reached a new high in the Lincoln metro area."

Nonfarm employment was 1,045,668 in November, up by 14,622 over the year and up by 1,741 over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were leisure and hospitality (up 2,473), professional and business services (up 2,465), and mining and construction (up 1,624). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in trade, transportation and utilities (up 4,857), professional and business services (up 451), and education and health (up 358).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 3.5 percent, down by 0.1 percentage points from the October 2019 rate of 3.6 percent and down 0.2 percentage points from the November 2018 rate of 3.7 percent.

For more November 2019 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.

December 2019 Nebraska data will be published Friday, January 24, 2019. Prepared and distributed by Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL). NDOL press releases are accessible at: dol.nebraska.gov.