The unemployment rate in Nebraska has seen a steady rise in the past few months, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor. In November, it recorded a rate of 2.3%, which while slightly higher than the 2.2% registered in October, is still lower than the 2.7% seen in November 2022. Nevertheless, Nebraska has the fifth lowest unemployment rate in the country, significantly less than the national average of 3.7%.

Further, the Department of Labor reports that the number of occupied jobs in November rose by nearly 1,600 from October and more than 11,000 compared to a year ago. The figure of employees covered by unemployment insurance reached 1,013,004 in the same month, crossing the 1 million mark for the first time.

In terms of regional activity, the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Lancaster and Seward counties, saw its unemployment rate drop to 1.9% from 2.2% in October. Compared to October, in November, Lincoln had 762 additional working individuals and 610 extra filled jobs. The number of people working was up by 1,845, and the number of filled jobs increased by 4,145 compared to a year ago.