The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for October was 2.7 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate dropped by 0.1 percentage points from the September 2017 rate of 2.8 percent and is down 0.6 percentage points from the October 2016 rate of 3.3 percent.

“The number of workers employed reached an all-time high in October, both statewide and in the Lincoln metro area, while Nebraska’s unemployment rate was the lowest it’s been since 1999,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Omaha’s unemployment rate of 2.4 percent hasn’t been this low in nearly two decades, while Lincoln’s rate of 2.1 percent is the lowest since 2000.” 

Nonfarm employment was 1,035,730, up 10,379 over the year and up 1,624 over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were professional and business services (up 4,344), leisure and hospitality (up 2,480), and other services (up 2,024). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in education and health services (up 1,447); trade, transportation and utilities (up 1,033); and manufacturing (up 419).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 4.1 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from the  September 2017 rate of 4.2 percent and down 0.7 percentage points from the October 2016 rate of 4.8 percent.

For more October data, go to dol.nebraska.gov/InfoLink.  Nonfarm employment data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/CES and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/LAUS.

November 2017 data is scheduled for release on Friday, December 22, 2017.