      Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for February was 2.3%, down 2-10ths of a point from January but 3-10ths higher than a year ago.
That’s also 1.3-points under the national rate and #3 nationally behind the 2.1% of North and South Dakota.
Nebraska Labor Commissioner John Albin is pleased with the numbers, pointing out it’s the lowest monthly rate since last June.
The jobless rates for Lincoln and Omaha were unchanged from January at 2.0% and
2.5%, respectively, with Grand Island down a tenth of a point at 2.2% and the Scottsbluff Micropolitan Statistical Area unchanged at 2.6%.
State unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal factors while local rates aren’t, making comparisons between them meaningless.
Comparisons to last year for the local rates aren’t available because the Bureau of Labor Statistics is still benchmarking or updating 2022 figures for each state.
Commissioner Albin says the number of Nebraskans employed statewide was up 1,765 from January, while the number of unemployed individuals was down 1,864.
Nonfarm employment, a count of filled jobs, was 1,031,710 in February. That’s up 8,817 for the month and 22,673 from last February.
Private industry sectors with the most growth from January were Leisure and Hospitality (up 3,795), Public Education and Health Services (up 1,489), and Professional and Business Services (up 1,422).
The sectors adding the most jobs in the past 12 months were Leisure and Hospitality (up 5,852), Mining and Construction (up 4,844), and Public Education and Health Services (up 3,718).