OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska’s unemployment rate rose in June, a month after claiming the nation’s lowest rate in the midst of the country’s coronavirus pandemic.
Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7% in June, up 1.4 percentage points from the revised May rate of 5.3% and up 3.6 percentage points from the June 2019 rate of 3.1%, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday.
“While we are seeing continued fluctuation in the labor market, Nebraska’s economy has shown more stability than other states since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic,” Nebraska Labor Commissioner John Albion said.
Despite the increase, Nebraska’s rate in June remained one of the lowest in the nation. The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 11.1%, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points from the May 2020 rate of 13.3%.
Nebraska’s nonfarm employment was 982,024 in June, up by 17,293 jobs over the month and down 52,852 jobs over the year.
The preliminary Omaha-area unemployment rate for June was 8.1%, up from May’s 6.4%, the report said. The Lincoln-area preliminary rate rose to 7% from 5.2% in March, and the Grand Island-area rate rose slightly to 7.6% from May’s 7.5%.
Unemployment rates for Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha have not been seasonally adjusted and cannot be directly compared with the state unemployment rate.
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