The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for Marchwas 2.8 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate was unchanged from February and is down 0.2 percentage pointsfrom the March 2017 rateof 3.0 percent.

“The number of employed workers in the labor force climbed by nearly 1,800 from February to March, representing an over-the-year increase of nearly 5,800,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “A number of industries rebounded in March after normal seasonal fluctuations.”

Nonfarm employmentfor Marchwas 1,016,336, up 5,315 over the year and up 9,115 over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were manufacturing (up 3,180); professional and business services(up 1,470); and leisure and hospitality (up 1,393). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in professional and business services (up 2,094); mining and construction (up 2,000); and leisure and hospitality (up 1,211).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March was 4.1 percent, unchanged fromthe February 2018 rate of 4.1 percent and down 0.4 percentage points from the March 2017 rate of 4.5 percent. The following labor force (employment, unemployment, unemployment rate) data has been revised and is now available on NEworks: seasonally adjusted Nebraska data (1976-2017), not seasonally adusted Nebraska data (2013- 2017); and not seasonally adjusted substate data (2013-2017).

Revised workforce data both seasonally adjusted and not seasonall adjusted are available for 2016 and 2017. For all labor force data contact Lenora Castillo at 402-471-9841 or Lenora.Castillo@Nebraska.gov. For all workforce data contact Janet Rezac at 402-471-6764 or Janet.Rezac@Nebraska.gov.

For more March 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. April 2018 data is scheduled for release on Friday, May 18.