Rate is the All Time Lowest in the Nebraska and a Record Low for Nation 

LINCOLN -

The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for November 2021 is 1.8 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is down 0.1 percentage points from the October 2021 rate of 1.9 percent and down 1.6 percentage points from the November 2020 rate of 3.4 percent.  Unemployment data goes back to 1976, and the November rate is the lowest on record for Nebraska and any state. National unemployment rate rankings are available here: https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

"The number of unemployed workers in the labor force reached a historical low of 18,127 in November, while the number of employed workers was above 1 million for the third straight month," said Commisioner of Labor John H Albin.

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status.  Both individuals who are claiming unemployment benefits and those who are not claiming can be counted as unemployed based on their survey responses.  Individuals who are not working and are not seeking work are not considered part of the labor force and are not included in the unemployment rate calculation.

Nonfarm employment, a count of filled jobs, was 1,029,895 in November, up 1,447 over the month and up 30,510 over the year. Private industries with the most growth month to month were trade, transportation, and utilities (up 4,121); manufacturing (up 867) and professional and business services (794).  Private industries with the most growth year to year were leisure and hospitality (7,275), professional and business services (up 6,627), and trade, transportation, and utilities (5,176).  

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2021 is 4.2 percent, down 0.4 percentage points from the October 2021 rate of 4.6 percent and down 2.5 percentage points from the November 2020 rate of 6.7 percent. 

December 2021 Nebraska employment data will be published Tuesday, January 25, 2021.

Employers looking for qualified applicants are encouraged to post their jobs for free on NEworks.nebraska.gov and partner with their closest job center to take advantage of programs geared at recruiting, upskilling, and expanding their workforce.

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