State unemployment rate dips to lowest in nation

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s unemployment rate has dipped to 1.9%, tying with South Dakota and New Hampshire for lowest in the country.

The state’s May preliminary rate, released Friday, is a pinch lower than the 2% reported last month at this time and the 2.1% of a year ago.

Meanwhile, national unemployment went the other way, with the rate rising from 3.4% a month ago (for April) to the latest 3.7%.

That’s all according to seasonally adjusted, preliminary data updated Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nebraska’s Labor Commissioner John Albin called the latest unemployment rate a historical low for the Cornhusker state.

He noted another Nebraska highlight: “The total nonfarm count of filled jobs is at a historical high at 1,044,702, surpassing the prior high count of filled jobs in November 2022 by 1,009.”

Nonfarm employment was up 1,985 jobs over the month and up 18,549 over the year.

The state reported that private industries with the most annual growth, not seasonally adjusted, included private education and health services (up about 6,400 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up about 5,000 jobs), and mining and construction (up about 4,000 jobs).

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force were based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status.

Individuals who are claiming unemployment benefits as well as those who are not claiming them can be counted as unemployed based on their survey responses. Individuals who are not working and not seeking work are not considered part of the labor force, and are not included in the unemployment rate calculator.