Nebraska unemployment remained unchanged at 4.6 percent in January, state says

Nebraska jobless rate 4.6 percent in January

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6 percent in January, still less than half the national rate of 9.7 percent, state officials said in a report issued Wednesday.

The state said the preliminary December rate of 4.7 percent reported on Jan. 22 has been revised to 4.6 percent.

The state’s January rate was a half-point higher than the 4.1 percent reported a year ago, the Nebraska Department of Labor said. The national rate in January was two percentage points higher than a year earlier.

North Dakota had the nation’s lowest jobless rate in January, at 4.2 percent, and was followed by Nebraska’s 4.6 percent and South Dakota’s 4.8 percent.

Two sectors of the state economy added jobs in January. The education and health services sector added 5,479 jobs, and the other services_repair and maintenance sector added 113 jobs, the report said.

Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted labor force included 983,427 people in January. Of those, 45,361 were listed as unemployed, which is 607 lower than in December and 4,560 higher than January 2009.

Omaha’s estimated unemployment rate increased to 6 percent in January, from a revised 4.8 percent in December. The rate was 5.1 percent in January 2009.

Lincoln’s estimated unemployment rate also increased, to 5 percent in January from a revised 3.9 percent in December. In January 2009, the Lincoln rate was 4.6 percent.

Unemployment rates for Omaha and Lincoln are not seasonally adjusted and cannot be compared with the state unemployment rate.

Here are the preliminary labor market rates for January, followed by the revised December rates:

— Beatrice: 6.7,7.0

— Columbus: 4.8,4.5

— Fremont: 5.6,5.6

— Grand Island: 5.2,4.5

— Hastings: 5.6,4.8

— Kearney: 4.3,4.0

— Lexington: 5.6,5.4

— Norfolk: 5.2,5.3

— North Platte: 4.8,4.3

— Red Willow: 5.0,5.3

— Scotts Bluff: 6.4,5.6

On the Net:

Nebraska Department of Labor: www.dol.nebraska.gov