New Labor Availability and Hiring Needs Report Released for the Omaha Metro Area

A new Labor Availability and Hiring Needs Report for the Omaha metro area is now available at NEworks.nebraska.gov. The report reflects input from employers and households across eight counties in Nebraska and Iowa and provides insight into hiring challenges, job seeker priorities, AI usage, and the region’s labor market trends.

“Nebraska’s workforce continues to demonstrate both resilience and opportunity,” said Commissioner of Labor Katie Thurber. “This report offers a clearer picture of the needs of both job seekers and employers in the Omaha area. Understanding these trends helps us support businesses, strengthen workforce initiatives, and connect Nebraskans with meaningful employment.”

Job Seeker Highlights

• Salary, job security, and stability were the most important factors for individuals considering new employment.
• Many job seekers cited inadequate pay and benefits, limited flexible scheduling, and lack of local opportunities as barriers to employment.

Employer Highlights

• Employers in professional and technical services, health care, and finance reported the greatest difficulty finding workers.
• The most common reason employers struggled to hire was a lack of applicants.
• Businesses are responding by increasing pay, enhancing benefits, and adjusting hiring requirements to attract more candidates.
• Employers most often reported leadership as the skill needing additional employee training, followed by teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving.

NDOL will also be releasing a skills gap report for the Omaha area soon. Questions about the survey findings and reports may be directed to lmi_ne@nebraska.gov.

NDOL press releases are available at dol.nebraska.gov.