TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

NEBRASKA WORKFORCE

TRENDSAUGUST 2017 ISSUE | NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Inside this Issue:

2016-2017 Labor Availability Study in Central, Southwest and Southeast NebraskaLearn about the components of the 2016-2017 Labor Availability Study

Map Facts: School Districts

Nebraska's 2015 Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment (Part 1)Explore employment and unemployment data for Nebraska and the West North Central Region

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Contents

3 2016-2017 Labor Availability Study in Central, Southwest and Southeast NebraskaLearn about the components of the 2016-2017 Labor Availability Study.

7 Fast Facts: Career Planning Resources

9 Map Facts: School Districts

11 Openings & Expansions

12 Nebraska’s 2015 Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment (Part 1)Explore employment and unemployment data for Nebraska and the West North Central region.

15 Monthly Unemployment Data

16 Economic IndicatorsReview data trends from this month's featured economic indicator: Real Gross Domestic Product.

Credits

Commissioner of LaborJohn H. Albin

LMI Administrator Phil Baker

Editors Scott HunzekerGrace JohnsonJennifer Gildersleeve

Graphic DesignerBrittney Lippincott

Cover Photo: 123RF. Aleksandr Prokopenko.

Helpful LinksLabor Market Publications

Nebraska INFOlink - Employment Data

Previous Issues

NEworks.nebraska.gov

Reader Feedback Survey

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. TDD: 1.800.833.7352Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Nebraska Workforce Trends is published by the Nebraska Department of Labor - Labor Market Information in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.

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2016-2017 Labor Availability Study in Central, Southwest and Southeast NebraskaDillon Cornett, Research Analyst

Photo: 123RF.com. Cathy Yeulet

The Nebraska Labor Availability Study, which began with a pilot study in the fall of 2013 and continues today, has grown into a collaborative project between the Nebraska Department of Labor (DOL) and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED). The study is designed to measure labor availability, hiring and training needs, and skills gaps for different regions of the state. All reports can be found at dol.nebraska.gov/las. The Labor Availability Study (LAS) consists of a labor availability report using data received from individuals, a hiring and training needs report consisting of data received from employers, and a skills gap report utilizing these data sources and secondary sources to provide rec-ommendations for the local labor market. University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) collaborators include the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR) and the Bureau of Business Research (BBR). BOSR provides sampling and data collection assis-tance for the household report, and Dr. Eric Thompson at BBR produces the skills gap report. Provided on the following pages is a sample of some of the published results from the three reports produced by each area for this ongoing study: the Labor Availability Report, the Hiring and Training Needs Report, and the Skills Gap Report.

Introduction to Labor Availability

Labor availability describes how many people within a given area are available and willing to take a new job. Labor availability has two components: geographical and human. The geographical component of labor availability narrows down the labor pool to those who are located near or those willing to travel to a specific location to work. The human component of labor availability depends upon the characteristics of the potential workforce in the area.

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Labor Availability StudyPanhandle - Published 2016

Central Nebraska - Published 2017

Southwest Nebraska - Published 2017

Southeast Nebraska - Published 2017

Northeast Nebraska - Projected 2018

Lincoln Metro - Projected 2018

Omaha Metro - Projected 2018

Map of Labor Availability Study Survey Areas

Labor Availability StudyPanhandle - Published 2016

Central Nebraska - Published 2017

Southwest Nebraska - Published 2017

Southeast Nebraska - Published 2017

Northeast Nebraska - Projected 2018

Lincoln Metro - Projected 2018

Omaha Metro - Projected 2018

People take, keep, and change jobs for a variety of reasons. Salary and benefits are important, but other factors including convenience, security, family obligations, personal fulfillment, age, gender, education, and training contribute to workers’ employment decisions. These motivations and demographic characteristics determine labor availability within a region.

NDOL frequently collects varied data about Nebraska workers and shares that information with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS then analyzes the data to estimate statistics such as how many people work in different industries and occupations or how many people work or do not work. While the BLS and NDOL produce a rich data catalog, neither agency regularly measures the reasons why workers choose to change their employment situation or not work at all.

Furthermore, there are some datasets available that count only certain types of job seekers, such as unemployed individuals or active job seekers, as part of the labor pool. However, a few key segments of the labor pool, such as people who are currently employed but may change jobs given the right opportunity, or those who are not working but may reenter the labor force, are often unaccounted for in estimates of labor availability. Details about this portion of the labor pool as well as unemployed or active job seekers in a local labor pool are useful to economic developers and business site selectors. This study aims to supplement BLS and NDOL data with information about worker motivations in Nebraska. Understanding why people take a job helps stakeholders understand how an employer might attract new workers. Additionally, understanding the characteristics of the current labor force and the incentives required for residents to change jobs could shed light on how communities might improve their local labor forces.

Labor Availability Report

The Labor Availability Report is mostly focused on the specific groups of people who are defined as potential job seekers and active job seekers. A potential job seeker is an employed person who answered either ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ to the question, “Are you likely to change jobs in the next year if a suitable job is available?” or a non-employed person who answered ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ to the question, “Are you likely to reenter the workforce in the next year if a suitable job is available?” The potential job seekers group includes all individuals who indicated that they may accept a new job within the next year given the right circumstances. An active job seeker is a subset of potential job seekers who answered ‘yes’ to the question, “Are you actively seeking a new job?” Non-active seekers are potential job seekers who may change jobs or reenter the workforce within the next year, but were not actively seeking a job.

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Displayed in the above table is a sample of results from recently published labor availability reports for Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, North Platte, and Nebraska City. Provided for each city listed in the table is the percentage of potential job seekers and active job seekers in the survey area, the age 18 and over city population (based on 2010 Census population (Table DP-1)), and the estimates of the number of potential and active job seekers. Results from the surveys show that there is a significant population of potential and active job seekers in each survey area.

Hiring and Training Needs Report

When surveyed, businesses named three occupations they have tried to hire or have recently hired, and then those employers indicated whether it was

Potential Job Seekers and Active Job SeekersSurvey Area Central Nebraska Southwest Nebraska Southeast NebraskaCity Grand Island Hastings Kearney North Platte Nebraska CityPercent of Potential Job Seekers in survey area 33.3% 33.2% 33.2% 27.0% 29.0%

Percent of Active Job Seekers in survey area 28.7% 28.8% 28.7% 24.5% 30.8%

City Population (age 18 and over) 35,131 18,961 23,952 18,580 5,509

Number of Potential Job Seekers in city 11,698 6,286 7,962 5,007 1,600

Number of Active Job Seekers in city 3,358 1,809 2,286 1,226 493

Table 4 Difficulty Finding WorkersSurvey Area Central Nebraska Southwest Nebraska Southeast NebraskaCity Grand Island Hastings Kearney North Platte Nebraska CityAll 73.7% 77.1% 79.2% 77.4% 75.2%

IndustryAccommodation and Food Services 81.2% * * * 71.0%

Health Care and Social Assistance 70.1% * * 81.8% 75.3%

Retail Trade * 80.0% 80.0% 77.7% 75.8%Occupation

Food Preparation and Serving Related 77.2% 72.0% 87.4% 92.0% 69.0%

Office and Administrative Support 63.3% 66.7% 69.1% 73.1% *

Transportation and Material Moving 81.2% * 80.0% * 86.2%

*Data for all industries and occupations for each city is not yet available.

difficult to find workers for the listed occupations. Below is a sample of results showing the percentage of all responding employers who said that it was difficult to find workers for the occupations they recently hired or tried to fill. Results were consistent across areas when examining the difficulty employers have when finding workers across all industries and occupations. In every surveyed city, the greatest percentage of employers indicated

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that not receiving enough applicants was a reason for difficulty. Regardless of industry or occupation, a slightly greater percentage of Kearney area employers reported difficulty finding workers (79.2%) than Grand Island area employers (73.7%). North Platte area employers more often reported difficulty hiring workers for jobs in the health care and social assistance industry (81.8%) compared to other industries in the survey areas. Furthermore, nearly all North Platte employers reported difficulty finding workers for food preparation and serving related occupations (92%).

Skills Gap Report

A method of determining the available supply of new workers in a labor market is to examine the annual job openings and annual entrants to an area.

Area Entrants and Difficulty Hiring Due to Work History or Background CheckSurvey Area Central Nebraska Southwest Nebraska Southeast NebraskaCity Grand Island Hastings Kearney North Platte Nebraska CityAnnual Job Openings 1,715 820 1,570 1,108 666Annual Entrants to Survey Area 2,760 2,760 2,760 549 542Annual Entrants to City Area 1,065 500 1,190

Share of Employers Reporting Difficulty due to

Poor Work History 50.1% 50.3% 47.8% 43.3% 39.1%Failed Background Check/Drug Screen 19.7% 15.6% 20.6% 22.0% 14.9%

Above is a sample of openings and entrants results from recently published skills gap reports. The table also lists the percentage of employers who indicated it was difficult to hire workers due to either a poor work history or a failed background check and/or drug screening.

Based on these results, North Platte has the greatest gap between annual job openings and annual entrants to the survey area. Skills gap recommendations were unique to each community but general themes emerged from the studied areas. Dr. Thompson provided evidence that there is a shortage of blue collar labor in the central, southwest, and southeast areas. Most communities also seem to have shortages of select types of white collar workers, in particular computer programmers and health care specialists. Wage levels do not appear to be a significant contributor to the skills gap in these occupations, but it could be that wage levels make it difficult to attract skilled workers from other states. One potential solution identified in this study includes encouraging young people to choose to study in these challenging fields, whether machinery mechanics, nursing, or computer science.

The Labor Availability Reports, Hiring and Training Needs Reports, and Skills Gap Reports are available under the publications link at dol.nebraska.gov/las.

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Fast Facts

Career Planning ResourcesJodie Meyer, Research Analyst

CAREER EXPLORATION/PLANNING

Website Types of resources available Produced/sponsored by

Nebraska Career Clusterswww.nebraskacareerclusters.com

Video tours of businesses across the state

Nebraska Departments of Labor, Education, and Economic Development

O*NET OnLinewww.onetonline.org

Occupation information: knowledge, skills, abilities, Career interest profile, job outlook, and wages

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (sponsor)

Developed by the National Center for O*NET Development

My Next Movewww.mynextmove.org/

Condensed version of information from O*NET OnLine

Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/ooh/

Nationwide data on occupation pay, work environment, job outlook, similar occupations, and more

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Nebraska Reality Checkwww.educationquest.org/realitycheck/

Lifestyle cost information and occupations in corresponding wage range

EducationQuest Foundation

This month Fast Facts focuses on a variety of resources that can be used by teachers, parents, and job seekers for career exploration and college planning. Many of these resources are also useful to businesses and human resource professionals to aid in tasks such as writing job descriptions. Some resources are for Nebraska and some are national, but all provide valuable information and many incorporate information from the Nebraska Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Market Information (LMI). This list is not comprehensive, and only represents a sampling of the many resources available.

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COLLEGE PLANNING

IN-DEPTH

Website Types of resources available Produced/Sponsored by

College Scorecard collegescorecard.ed.gov/

Information on individual colleges including cost, average student loan amount, students’ ability to repay their loans, and their future earnings

United States Department of Education

Career Earning by College Major interactive chart hamiltonproject.org/charts/career_earn-ings_by_college_major

Earnings by years worked for different college majors

The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution

Website Types of resources available Produced/Sponsored by

CareerOneStopwww.careeronestop.org

Variety of resources related to career planning, job training, and job searches

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (sponsor)

GetMyFuture (section of the CareerOneStop website)www.careeronestop.org/GetMyFuture

Resources tailored to students and young adults such as career exploration, information on finding education and training programs, and how to conduct a successful job search

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (sponsor)

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Map Facts

School Districts in NebraskaKermit Spade, Research Analyst

Nebraska is divided into 251 unified school districts. The map above shows the school districts in Nebraska, and is color coded based on the population age 5-19 in each district. The area containing the Omaha Public Schools district has the largest student-age population, at 74,144. McPherson County Schools has the smallest student-age population in its district of 61.1

10 Largest School Districts by Population

School District Population Age 5 - 19Omaha Public Schools 74,144Lincoln Public Schools 54,021Millard Public Schools 26,129Papillion-La Vista Public Schools 13,303Grand Island Public Schools 10,767Bellevue Public Schools 10,121Elkhorn Public Schools 9,029Kearney Public Schools 7,813Norfolk Public Schools 6,359Fremont Public Schools 5,918

670

94951

234

111261

61

546

481

235359

150

456

71

110

112

505

99

110

574

634

92

589

437

2236

593

186

137

350

155

147

1567

663

366

216

191

665

1006

212

152

624

260

280

271

749

503

1156207

161

305

350273

176

321

915

106

271

484173

649

430

584

1152

194

157

219

97

413

395

324

193

427

430

323

615

458

555

783

648

400

652

493

961

1167

185

359228

314

267 433

526

1072

875591

2088

312

221

239

1515

189283

288

111

357

620

657

1441

226

1200

492

531

467

118

342

351

682

397

3834010

223 249

367

484

508

1249

242

321

397

2583

312

235

2072

161

229

459

352

224 232

1039

119

698

572

286205

203 748

1056

1788

1345

1245

5916

24872313

620

252

2942

2081260

383

1053

177 389

164

7813

946

2372

501

596465

632

175

444

792

185

1664

364

3081248

22282

1770

1744

2557

459

0

710

147

331

313

689

177139

105

270

934

184

197

418

2925

357

399

202

215

266

377

255

307

333

6359

245

198

236

211

319

157

343385

1033

1160

165154021

74144

154

147

204

441210

718

1732

176

403

728

4196

204

9801955918

450

4922

2017

1245

605

9029

2297

106 356

484

255

444

4248

1330310121

323

223

10767

225

5116

197

245

236

5116

Age 5 - 19 Population

0 - 500

501 - 1,500

1,515 - 5,000

5,116 - 15,000

26,129 - 74,144

Population#

School Districts, Population and Enrollment

Source: US Census Bureau

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Sources1. U.S. Census Bureau. American Fact Finder. census.gov. [Online] 2015 ACS 5-year estimates. [Cited: 07 26, 2017.] factfinder.census.gov.

2. Nebraska Department of Education. 2015 - 2016 State of the Schools Report. education.ne.gov. [Online] [Cited: 07 26, 2017.] http://nep.education.ne.gov/State?DataYears=20152016%20#nesa-scores.

School Districts with Highest Spending per Student

School District Enrollment Spending per Student

Lynch Public Schools 69 $27,884Santee Community Schools 180 $26,722Sioux County Public Schools 99 $26,616Loup County Public Schools 77 $25,766Wheeler Central Schools 92 $25,239Bruning-Davenport Unified School System

175 $24,954

Hayes Center Public Schools 105 $24,305McPherson County Schools 82 $23,134Keya Paha County Schools 102 $22,941Litchfield Public Schools 107 $21,944

Lynch Public Schools had the highest spending per student, at $27,884, while Gretna Public Schools spent the least, at $8,760. Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools had the highest percentage of total spending spent on school administration, at 9.3 percent, while Arthur County Schools spent the least, at 0.04 percent.

School Districts with Lowest Spending per Student

School District Enrollment Spending per Student

Gretna Public Schools 3,953 $8,760Bennington Public Schools 1,922 $8,773Elkhorn Public Schools 7,553 $9,309North Platte Public Schools 4,280 $9,356Papillion-La Vista Public Schools 11,401 $9,397Amherst Public Schools 358 $9,511Millard Public Schools 23,702 $9,636Waverly School District 145 1,963 $9,693Blair Community Schools 2,329 $9,854Norris School District 160 2,178 $9,906

There were 315,542 students enrolled in schools across Nebraska during the 2015-2016 academic year. Less than half (44.1 percent) of these students were on free or reduced lunch and 6.1 percent were English language learners. Most students (67.7 percent) were white, followed by Hispanic (18.1 percent), Black or African American (6.7 percent), two or more races (3.5 percent), Asian (2.5 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (1.4 percent), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.1 percent). Approximately 14 percent of all students were considered high ability learners.

In the 2015-2016 academic year, there were approximately 23,000 teachers in public schools across Nebraska, 53.1 percent of which had master’s degrees. They had an average of 14 years teaching experience and earned an average salary of $51,520.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education, in the 2015-2016 academic year, most students were deemed proficient in reading (82 percent), mathematics (73 percent), science (72 percent) and writing (71 percent).2

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Openings & Expansions | June*Kermit Spade, Research Analyst

*Openings and expansions are listed for the month in which they were reported to the Nebraska Department of Labor, not necessarily the month in which they occurred.

Sources:Lincoln Chamber of Commerce

NDOL Staff

Business Category Business Name Location

OTHER

Food & Entertainment

Black Cow/Fat Pig (expansion) NorfolkGraduate Lincoln Lincoln

Talon Room LincolnSportsman’s Grill (expansion) Meadow Grove

OTHERFinance & Insurance

Colonial Life Lincoln

OTHER

Healthcare

Physicians Weight Loss Center Lincoln

Elite Health Center Scottsbluff

OTHER

Real Estate & Rental

Charter Title & Escrow Beatrice

Homestead Land Fairbury

Nebraska Title Company Fairbury

OTHER

Retail/Sales

Scranton Flooring & Supply (expansion) Norfolk

OTHER

Marketing

Simple Strat Lincoln

OTHER

Blue Valley Community Action Center YorkCedars - Northbridge Lincoln

Falls City Foods Falls CityFarmers Pride (expansion) Newman Grove

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Nebraska’s 2015 Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment

Lenora Castillo, Research Analyst

Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the 2015 annual average demographic employment and unemployment estimates from the Current Population Survey (CPS). CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households which is used to produce the monthly unemployment rate for the nation.

Geographic Profile data are annual averages that have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are based on the civilian, non-institutional population age 16 and older. While CPS and LAUS (Local Area Unemployment Statistics) use the same concepts and definitions, these programs use different methodologies; therefore, data will not match.

In this article, Nebraska data are compared to data from the West North Central Region which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Employment Status of Civilian Non-institutional Population

Of the 999,000 in Nebraska’s labor force, a little over half (527,000) were men, and a slightly fewer number were women (471,000). Men had an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent while women had a rate of 2.8 percent.

The unemployment rate for white workers in Nebraska was 2.6 percent and 5.0 percent for workers with Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.Unemployment rate data for black or African American and Asian workers in Nebraska was suppressed because data did not meet the Bureau of Labor Statistics standards for reliability.

The West North Central Region had an average labor force of 11,183,000 workers in 2015. There were 5,902,000 men and 5,280,000 women. Men in the West North Central Region had an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent with women at 3.8 percent.

Part 1

Photo: 123RF.com. Rawpixel.

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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Population Survey.

In the West North Central Region, white workers had an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent, black or African Americans at 10.4 percent, Asians at 3.5 percent, and workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity at 4.5 percent.

Educational Attainment

Nebraskans with less than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate (6.7 percent) followed by high school graduates with no college (2.8 percent). Workers with some college or an associate degree (1.9 percent), and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, had the lowest average unemployment rate (1.7 percent).

At the regional level, the results were similar with the highest unemployment rates (7.3 percent) for those workers with less than a high school diploma or high school graduates with no college (4.0 percent). Workers with a bache-lor’s degree or higher (2.1 percent) and those with some college or associate degree (3.5 percent) had the lowest unemployment rates.

Employed and Unemployed Persons, by Full- and Part-time Status

In 2015, an average of 788,000 Nebraskans were employed full-time while 180,000 were employed part-time.

Approximately 683,000 of the full-time workers employed in Nebraska worked 35 hours or more while 83,000 worked 1 to 34 hours for economic or noneconomic reasons. The remaining 22,000 full-time workers were not at work at the time they were surveyed.

Of the 180,000 part-time workers in the state, 19,000 had economic reasons for working part-time and 151,000 had noneconomic reasons. The remaining 10,000 part-time workers were not at work at the time they were surveyed. Economic reasons include hours being cut back, unable to find full-time work, slack work or unfavorable business conditions, or seasonal declines in demand. Noneconomic reasons include childcare problems, family or personal obligations, school or training, retirement or social security limits on earnings, and other reasons.

In the West North Central Region, 8,696,000 worked full-time while 2,034,000 worked part-time. Approximately 7,577,000 of full-time workers were on the job for 35 or more hours while 876,000 worked 1 to 34 hours for economic or noneconomic reasons. The remaining 243,000 were not at work at the time of the survey.

Of the 2,034,000 part-time workers, 254,000 were working part-time for economic reasons and 1,664,000 for noneconomic reasons. The remaining 116,000 were not at work at the time they were surveyed.

Employment Status of Experienced Civilian Labor Force, by Occupation

The occupations with the highest concentration in Nebraska’s experienced labor force, excluding people with no previous work experience, were management, professional and related occupations (368,000), followed by sales and office (228,000), and lastly service (165,000).

0 50 100 150 200(Data in the thousands)

250 300 350 400

368

228

165

134

57Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

Production, transportation, and material moving

Service

Sales and office

Management, professional, and related

0 1,000 2,000 3,000

(Data in the thousands)

4,000 5,000

4,357

2,493

1,819

1,448

1,029Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

Production, transportation, and material moving

Service

Sales and office

Management, professional, and related

Nebraska: Experienced Employed by Occupation

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West North Central Region: Experienced Employed by Occupation

0 50 100 150 200(Data in the thousands)

250 300 350 400

368

228

165

134

57Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

Production, transportation, and material moving

Service

Sales and office

Management, professional, and related

0 1,000 2,000 3,000

(Data in the thousands)

4,000 5,000

4,357

2,493

1,819

1,448

1,029Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

Production, transportation, and material moving

Service

Sales and office

Management, professional, and related

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Population Survey.

The top three occupations in the West North Central Region corresponded to those in Nebraska: management, professional and related occupations (4,357,000), sales and office (2,493,000), and service (1,819,000).

Percent Distribution of Employed People, by Gender and Occupation

Males in Nebraska were most often employed in management, business and financial operations (32.4 percent), production, transportation, and material moving (19.2 percent), and natural resources (18.4 percent). Employed females in Nebraska were most likely to work in management, professional, and related occupations (43.0 percent), sales and office (28.4 percent), and service (20.8 percent).

Data by race showed that the largest percentage of white employees (38.5 percent) and Asian employees (33.8 percent) worked in management, professional, and related occupations. The largest percentage of black or African American workers were employed in service occupations (26.6 percent) while those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity worked in production, transportation, and material moving occupations (26.0 percent).

In the West North Central Region, the largest percentage of males were employed in the following three occupations: management, professional, and related occupations (36.3 percent), production, transportation, and material moving (19.2 percent), and tied at third (16.3 percent) were sales and office and natural resources, construction and maintenance. Women, on the other hand, were employed in these top three occupations: management, professional and related occupations (43.6 percent), sales and office (29.2 percent), and service (20.6 percent).

Race data from the West North Central Region showed that the largest percentage of white (40.7 percent), black or African American (28.8 percent), and Asian (48.8 percent) employees worked in management, professional, and related occupations while workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity most often worked in service occupations (25.6 percent).

Next month, part two of this article will cover the 2015 Geographic Profile labor force data by industry, hours worked, job losers, job leavers, new entrants, reentrants, and duration of unemployment.

Check out these links for further information on:

Current Population Survey - www.bls.gov/gps/notescps.htm

Local Area Unemployment Statistics - www.bls.gov/lau/

TABLE OF CONTENTS 15

Unemployment Data | JUNEByron Lefler, Research Analyst

June Unemployment Rates by County

Cherry2.3 Holt

2.6

Custer2.2

Sioux2.9

Lincoln3.2

Sheridan2.6

Morrill2.9

Garden2.5

Knox3.0

Keith2.9

Dawes3.5

Rock2.4

Brown3.1

Gage3.4

Hall3.1

Dundy2.2

Chase2.0

Buffalo2.8

Grant2.4

Clay2.8

Kimball3.1

York2.8

Frontier3.0

Otoe3.6

Dawson2.8

Cedar2.4

Platte3.1

Arthur3.8

Burt3.5

Perkins1.9

Cheyenne2.9

Hayes2.6

Blaine3.8

Loup3.1

Box Butte3.2

Cass3.3

Boyd3.0

Boone2.4Banner

4.0

Polk2.5

Butler3.1

Furnas2.6

Hooker2.5

Antelope2.3

Saline3.1

Valley2.9

Pierce2.7

Logan2.6

Thomas2.4

Lancaster2.8

Dixon3.3

Harlan2.6

Adams3.3

Thayer2.3

Dodge3.0

Phelps2.6

Saunders2.9

McPherson2.3

Deuel2.3

Howard2.8

Cuming3.1

Seward3.1

Greeley2.8

Fillmore2.8

Hitchcock3.2

Garfield2.6

Franklin3.2

Keya Paha2.3

Webster3.0

Nance2.6

Madison2.9

Wheeler2.6

Nuckolls2.4

Merrick2.7

Colfax2.5

Gosper2.5

Scotts Bluff3.4

Jefferson2.5

Wayne3.4

Sherman2.9

Red Willow2.9

Kearney2.3

Hamilton2.6

Stanton3.0

Pawnee3.2

Richardson3.4

Nemaha4.6

Johnson3.4

Thurston5.3

Douglas3.3

Dakota4.0

Sarpy2.9

Washington3.1

County Rates1.9 - 2.4

2.5 - 2.7

2.8 - 3.2

3.3 - 4.0

4.1 - 5.3

*Not seasonally adjusted

NEBRASKAJune Non-farm Total Employment: 1,039,386Manufacturing: 97,893

Nebraska (smoothed seasonally adjusted)June Unemployment Rate: 2.9%Change (OTM): 0.0Change (OTY): -0.3

Economic Regions (not seasonally adjusted)Central: 2.8%Mid Plains: 2.9%Northeast: 3.1%Panhandle: 3.2%Sandhills: 2.6%Southeast: 3.2%

OMAHA MSA (not seasonally adjusted) June Unemployment Rate: 3.2%June Total Non-Farm: 511,963Manufacturing: 32,671Largest OTM Increases:Leisure and Hospitality: 2,319 (4.6%)Professional & Business Services: 1,259 (1.7%)

LINCOLN MSA (not seasonally adjusted) June Unemployment Rate: 2.9%June Total Non-Farm: 176,644Manufacturing: 13,268Largest OTM Increases:Mining and Construction: 355 (3.9%)Leisure and Hospitality: 161 (0.8%)

GRAND ISLAND MSA (not seasonally adjusted) June Unemployment Rate: 3.0%June Total Non-Farm: 43,448Change (OTM): 250 (0.6%)Change (OTY): 1,072 (2.5%)

Sources: 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics Program

2. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics

16

Economic Indicators Real Gross Domestic ProductKermit Spade, Research Analyst

Real Gross Domestic Product

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Interactive Data. bea.gov [Online] 4 17, 2017. [Cited: 4 17, 2017.] https://www.bea.gov/itable/index.cfm

In each new issue of Trends, the Economic Indicators section features a chart or graph focused on one of the economic indicators listed on the following page. This month, we’ll be focusing on Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, "Real GDP is the inflation adjusted market value of goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States. It serves as a measure of overall output or productivity of the economy. As such, it is a useful indicator to measure the overall strength of the economy."1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 17

Change Over Last Quarter/MonthMetric Current Time

PeriodUnited States

Midwest Region

Nebraska

Average Weekly Manufacturing Hours June, 2017 +/-0.0 - -0.6*

Initial Unemployment Claims June, 2017 +1.3% - +4.5%

Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Consumer Goods May, 2017 -0.2% - -

ISM Manufacturing: New Orders Index© May, 2017 +3.5% - -

Value of Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft May, 2017 +0.2% - -

S&P 500© June, 2017 +1.6% - -

10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus Federal Funds Rate June, 2017 +1.2% - -

University of Michigan, Consumer Sentiment Index July, 2017 -2.1% - -

Consumer Price Index, not seasonally adjusted June, 2017 +0.1% +0.1% -

Employment Cost Index 1st Quarter, 2017 +0.8% - -

Producer Price Index: All Commodities June, 2017 +0.4% - -

Unemployment Rate, seasonally adjusted June, 2017 +0.1% -0.1%* -0.1%*

Real GDP, billions of chained 2009 dollars 1st Quarter, 2017 +1.4% - -

Net Taxable Sales April, 2017 - - -6.0%

Barrel of Crude Oil, WTI-Cushing, Spot Price June, 2017 -$3.30 - -

Balance on Current Account (millions of dollars) 1st Quarter, 2017 +2.4%

SOURCES:1. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Measuring the Economy. bea.gov. [Online] 4 17, 2017. [Cited: 4 17, 2017.] https://www.bea.gov/national/pdf/nipa_primer.pdf

2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Customized Tables; State and Area Employment, Hours and Earnings. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Online] http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/dsrv?sm.

3. US. Employment and Training Administration. 4-Week Moving Average of Initial Claims. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/IC4WSA.

4. —. Initial Claims in Nebraska. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/NEICLAIMS.

5. US. Bureau of the Census. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Consumer Goods Industries. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/ACOGNO.

6. Institute for Supply Management. ISM Manufacturing: New Orders Index©. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/NAPMNOI.

7. US. Bureau of the Census. Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/NEWORDER.

8. S&P Dow Jones Indicies LLC. S&P 500©. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/SP500.

9. Federal Reserve Bank of Philidelphia. Leading Index for the United States. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/USSLIND.

10. —. Leading Index for Nebraska. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/NESLIND.

11. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus Federal Funds Rate. [Online] https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/T10YFF.

12. Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. Survey of Consumers. University of Michigan. [Online] http://www.press.sca.isr.umich.edu/press/press_release.

13. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CPIAUCNS.

14. —. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All items in Midwest urban. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CUUR0200SA0.

15. —. Employment Cost Index. Customized Tables. [Online] http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/dsrv?ci.

16. —. Producer Price Index for All Commodities. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/PPIACO.

17. —. Civilian Unemployment Rate. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/UNRATE.

18. —. Unemployment Rate in Midwest Census Region. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CMWRUR.

19. —. Unemployment Rate in Nebraska. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/NEUR.

20. U.S. Department of Commerce: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Real Gross Domestic Product. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/GDPC1.

21. Nebraska Department of Revenue. Non-Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Collections. Nebraska Department of Revenue. [Online] http://www.revenue.nebraska.gov/research/net_taxable_sales/sales_14/2014_non-mv.html.

22. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Crude Oil Prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - Cushing, Oklahoma. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/MCOILWTICO.

23. U.S. Department of Commerce: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Balance of Payments on the Current Account. Federal Reserve Economic Data. [Online] http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/IEABC.

Nebraska Department of LaborLabor Market Information

550 S. 16th StreetLincoln NE 68508

PHONE 800-876-1377lmi_ne@nebraska.gov

Photo: 123RF. Aleksandr Prokopenko.