Nebraska Unemployment Rate Still Low

LINCOLN - Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for January 2024 is 2.5 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate was unchanged from the revised December 2023 rate of 2.5 percent and is up 0.4 percentage points from the January 2023 rate of 2.1 percent.  Nebraska was ranked fifth in the nation. National unemployment rate rankings are available here: bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm.   

“Nebraska’s labor force grew by 5,111 from January 2023 to January 2024,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “The number of employed workers increased by 1,019 over the year.”

Nonfarm employment, a count of filled jobs, was 1,038,283 in January, down 23,840 over the month.  Private industries with the most growth month to month were financial activities (up 413 jobs) and information (up 247 jobs). Benchmarked nonfarm employment data will be published on Mach 22, 2024, at which time comparisons to 2023 data will be available. 

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status. Both individuals who are claiming unemployment benefits and those who are not claiming 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.

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2024 is 3.7 percent, unchanged from the December 2023 rate. The rate is up 0.3 percentage points from the January 2023 rate of 3.4 percent.

Employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and NDOL are subject to revisions monthly and annually.