Omaha and Nebraska shed jobs during September, but the unemployment rate still declined slightly.
The state unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent from 5 percent in August. In the Omaha-Council Bluffs statistical area, the jobless rate declined to 4.8 percent from 5 percent the previous month.
That is about half the national average and one of the lowest in the country, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.
The U.S. unemployment rate, at a 26-year high of 9.8 percent, is expected to top 10 percent as hiring lags the country’s recovery from the recession.
Nebraska continues to possess one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country because of its diversified economy, said Catherine Lang, Nebraska labor commissioner. North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states with lower unemployment.
“We have always been in a better position than many other states,” Lang said. “We certainly have felt this economic downturn later and probably less severely than in some states that have been affected by a particular industry.”
After revising its August unemployment number from 6.8 percent to 6.7 percent, Iowa’s jobless rate for September remained steady, said Elisabeth Buck, director of Iowa Workforce Development.
Buck said the state’s economy showed signs of improvement over the past month.
Omaha lost 649 jobs last month, and Nebraska lost 2,487.
In the Omaha metropolitan area, 18,773 people were unemployed, according to the Nebraska Labor Department, with 10,964 of those living within the city.
Despite the encouraging downward trend, the jobless rate still is up significantly from a year ago.
Statewide, Nebraska unemployment was 3.4 percent in September 2008. It was 3.5 percent in the Omaha metro area.
The only growth sectors in the state were private education and health care, which has been a trend, Lang said.
Columbus and North Platte were the only statistical areas that experienced an increase in unemployment. The rate was stagnant in Grand Island and Lexington, and it shrank in every other statistical area.
Typically, unemployment increases during the winter months because of fewer outdoor jobs, Lang said.
“This usually is the low point of the year, so to remain statistically level is certainly a good sign,” she said. “We still want to be mindful that our citizens will continue to feel the economic downturn.”
Iowa reported having slightly more than 113,000 unemployed workers last month, compared with 71,000 the previous year.
“A growing problem for the state is persistent long-term joblessness,” Buck said. “... People are staying out of work longer with no job prospects in sight.”
The Nebraska and Iowa jobless rates are seasonally adjusted; the metropolitan area’s is not.
Nationally, unemployment increased in 23 states, decreased in 19 states and remained stable in eight states.
The September figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor are preliminary and subject to change.
Contact the writer:
444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com
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