LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for April matched the rate in March and February of 2.8 percent, the state reported Friday.
The Nebraska Labor Department said in a news release that the rate was down a tenth of a point from the 2.9 percent of April 2017. Last month’s rate also remained well below the national figure, which dropped to 3.9 percent from 4.1 percent in March.
“In the last two months, manufacturing has reached pre-recession employment levels,” said state Labor Commissioner John Albin. “Manufacturing is an important component of Nebraska’s economy that accounts for nearly 10 percent of nonfarm jobs.”
Nonfarm employment was 1,026,608, up 7,532 over the year and up 9,737 over the month, the report said. Private industries with the most growth year over year were: manufacturing, up 3,189; leisure and hospitality, up 3,055; and education and health services, up 1,829. Month to month, the largest gains were in leisure and hospitality, up 3,709; mining and construction, up 3,518; and professional and business services, up 1,481.
Iowa, Wisconsin and Vermont joined Nebraska at the 2.8 percent rate for April. Maine recorded a rate of 2.7 percent, and New Hampshire and North Dakota had the same rate: 2.6 percent. Hawaii’s 2 percent was the nation’s lowest rate last month.
The preliminary Omaha-area rate dropped to 2.9 percent from 3 percent in March. The new rate matches that of April 2017. Lincoln’s preliminary rate remained unchanged at 2.6 percent last month and was a tenth of a point higher than the year-ago figure of 2.5 percent. Grand Island’s preliminary rate for April didn’t change either, matching the 3 percent in March but down a half point from the 3.5 percent in April 2017.
The unemployment rates for Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha have not been seasonally adjusted, so they cannot be directly compared with the state unemployment rate.
Here are preliminary area labor market unemployment rates for April, followed by the March rates:
— Beatrice: 3.1, 3.4
— Columbus: 3.0, 3.0
— Fremont: 2.8, 2.9
— Hastings: 2.9, 3.0
— Kearney: 2.4, 2.3
— Lexington: 2.9, 2.9
— Norfolk: 2.6, 2.9
— North Platte: 2.9, 3.1
— Red Willow: 2.4, 2.3
— Scottsbluff: 3.2, 3.2