The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for April 2024 is 2.5 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is unchanged since October 2023 and is up 0.5 percentage points from the April 2023 rate of 2.0 percent.  Nebraska's rate is ranked fourth lowest in the nation. National unemployment rate rankings are available here: bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm.   

"Nebraska's nonfarm employment reached an all-time high in April at 1,063,738," said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. "This was driven by record highs in Omaha and Lincoln of 516,399 and 198,570, respectively."

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status.  Individuals who are claiming unemployment benefits and those who are not claiming unemployment benefits 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 up 7,102 over the month and 18,816 over the year. Private industries with the most growth month to month were mining and construction (up 2,097 jobs); leisure and hospitality services (up 1,968 jobs); and trade, transportation, and utilities (up 920 jobs). Private industries with the most over-the-year growth were private education and health services (up 6,643 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 4,381 jobs); and leisure and hospitality services (up 3,316 jobs).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2024 is 3.9 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the March 2024 rate of 3.8 percent and up 0.5 percentage points from the April 2023 rate of 3.4 percent.

May 2024 Nebraska employment data will be published Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

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