Nebraska Maintains Robust Workforce Activity Amid Consistently Low Unemployment

At-a-Glance:

Unemployment Rate Remains 3.0:

Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for May 2026 is 3.0 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is unchanged from the April 2026 unemployment rate and up 0.1 percent over the year.

“Nebraskans are staying active in the workforce, helping local employers fill jobs and keeping our economy moving forward,” said Commissioner Katie Thurber.

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2026 is 4.3 percent, unchanged from the April 2026 unemployment rate and unchanged from the May 2025 unemployment rate.  National unemployment rate rankings are available here.

Total Non-Farm Employment:

Non-farm employment, the number of jobs filled, was 1,066,551 in May, up 7,577 over the month and down 4,450 over the year.  Private industries with the most over-the-month growth were leisure and hospitality (up 4,291 jobs),  mining and construction, (up 1,686 jobs), and other services (up 301 jobs).  The largest over-the-year growth came from private education and health services (up 3,263 jobs), mining and construction (up 3,058 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (up 1,321).

Top 3 Nebraska Industries by Year to Year Growth

Data Release Schedule:

Helpful Links:

• Nebraska Employment Data
• NEworks Labor Market Information
• NDOL Press Releases
• National Rate Rankings

Technical Notes:

The labor force includes employed individuals and those actively seeking work, as determined by a Census Bureau survey. People may be counted as unemployed regardless of whether they claim unemployment benefits, depending on their survey responses. Those not working or seeking employment are excluded from the labor force and the unemployment rate calculation.