Unemployment Rate Unchanged

LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for October 2024 is 2.7 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is unchanged from the September 2024 rate and is up 0.2 percentage points from the October 2023 rate of 2.5 percent. For the fifth straight month, Nebraska's rate is ranked fifth lowest in the nation. National unemployment rate rankings are available here: bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm.   

“Total nonfarm employment reached an all-time high in October at 1,085,139,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin.  “That is an increase of over 4,000 filled jobs from the prior high in June of this year.” 

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 was up 7,298 over the month and up 22,738 over the year. Private education and health services reached a record high of 172,155 and increased 8,321 from October 2023. Other private industries with the most over-the-year growth were manufacturing (up 3,846 jobs); and trade, transportation, and utilities (up 2,543 jobs).  Private industries with the most growth month to month were private education and health services (up 2,217 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 1,587 jobs); and mining and construction (up 556 jobs).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October 2024 is 4.1 percent, unchanged from the September 2024 rate and up 0.3 percentage points from the October 2023 rate of 3.8 percent.

November 2024 Nebraska employment data will be published Friday, December 20, 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