April 16, 2021

Rate is Tied for Lowest in the Nation

LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for March 2021 is 2.9 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is down 0.2 percentage points from the February 2021 rate of 3.1 percent and down 0.2 percentage points from the March 2020 rate of 3.1 percent.

“Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has reached pre-pandemic levels,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Nonfarm employment saw significant gains in March as well.” 

Nonfarm employment was 999,778 in March, up 12,849 over the month and down 17,537 over the year. Private industries with the most growth month to month were mining and construction (up 3,305); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 2,737); leisure and hospitality (up 2,543); and education and health services (up 1,627). Private industries with the most growth year to year were education and health services (up 1,730); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 1,013); and mining and construction (up 859).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March 2021 is 6 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the February rate of 6.2 percent, and up 1.6 percentage points from the March 2020 rate of 4.4 percent.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued the following statement regarding claims data and unemployment estimates: “Data users must be cautious about trying to compare or reconcile the UI claims data with the official unemployment figures gathered through the household survey. The unemployment data derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for or receipt of UI benefits. In some cases, UI claims data exclude people who would be identified as unemployed in the household survey, like new entrants to the labor force with no prior work experience. In other cases, UI data may include individuals who do not meet the CPS definition of unemployment.”

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and unemployment data can be found on the BLS website www.bls.gov/bls/bls-covid-19-questions-and-answers.htm  

April 2021 Nebraska data will be published Friday, May 21. Benchmarked 2019-2020 Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program data will be available later today at NEworks.nebraska.gov. Benchmarked Current Employment Statistics (CES) program data is currently available on NEworks.

More NDOL press releases are accessible here: https://dol.nebraska.gov/PressRelease