Nebraska unemployment rate of 2% is lowest on record

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s latest monthly unemployment rate of 2% was the nation’s lowest and the lowest on record for the state, a state agency reported Friday.

The Nebraska Department of Labor said the September rate was down from August’s rate of 2.2%.

The 2% is the lowest since Nebraska began keeping records of unemployment data in 1976, and is tied with the nationwide record low set by Hawaii in January 2020 and Connecticut in August 2020.

The total for nonfarm employment in September stood at nearly 1.020 million.

Nebraska’s unemployment rate came in ahead of No. 2 Utah’s 2.4% rate. The national unemployment rate for September was 4.8%.

“The number of employed individuals has returned to pre-pandemic levels with over 1 million individuals employed in September,” Nebraska Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin said. “This is the highest number of employed individuals since March of 2020.

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor. Those who indicate they are not working and are not seeking work are not considered part of the labor force and are not included in the unemployment rate.