LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate dropped last month to 3.2 percent as several industrial sectors showed employment gains, according to a state report issued Friday.
The February rate was tenth of a point under January’s rate of 3.3 percent and matched the February 2016 rate, the Nebraska Labor Department said. The state’s newest figure also remained well below the preliminary national figure of 4.7 percent for February.
“Several industry sectors showed healthy employment gains over the month,” said state Labor Commissioner John Albin. “Nebraska’s total nonfarm jobs had the largest January to February percentage increase in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
Nonfarm employment rose by 13,013 jobs, the report said, an increase of 1.3 percent. The private industry segments with the most growth over the month were education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services.
The preliminary Omaha-area rate dropped to 3.4 percent from the revised January rate of 3.6 percent. The preliminary Lincoln-area rate dropped to 2.8 percent from the revised January rate of 3.1 percent. The preliminary Grand Island-area rate sank to 3.7 last month from the revised figure of 5.9 percent in January.
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 February, followed by the revised January rates:
- Beatrice: 3.8, 4.1
- Columbus: 3.5, 3.7
- Fremont: 3.3, 3.5
- Hastings: 3.6, 4.1
- Kearney: 2.4, 3.1
- Lexington: 3.6, 3.8
- Norfolk: 3.2, 3.4
- North Platte: 3.5, 3.6
- Red Willow: 2.9, 3.0
- Scottsbluff: 4.1, 4.2
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