LINCOLN - Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for September 2023 is 2.1 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the August 2023 rate of 2.0 percent and is down 0.5 percentage points from the September 2022 rate of 2.6 percent.  National unemployment rate rankings are available here: bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm.   

“Manufacturing employment remained strong in September, increasing slightly from August,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “The number of filled jobs in manufacturing has exceeded 100,000 since October of 2021.”

Nonfarm employment, a count of filled jobs, was 1,046,908 in September, up 4,738 over the month and up 15,249 over the year.  Private industries with the most growth month to month were private education and health services (up 1,903 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 450 jobs); and manufacturing (up 378 jobs).  Private industries with the most over the year growth were private education and health services (up 4,602 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 3,620 jobs); and manufacturing (up 2,936 jobs).

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.

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2023 is 3.8 percent, unchanged from the August 2023 rate. The rate is up 0.3 percentage points from the September 2022 rate of 3.5 percent.

Employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and NDOL are subject to revisions monthly and annually. For more information, visit www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm#section7.

October 2023 Nebraska employment data will be published Friday, November 17, 2023.

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 employment data is available at dol.nebraska.gov/INFOlink.  NDOL press releases are accessible here: dol.nebraska.gov/PressRelease.