Both the local and state unemployment rates fell slightly in September compared with a year ago, according to data released Friday by the Nebraska Department of Labor.
Nebraska's unemployment rate in September was 2.8 percent, the same as in August and down from 2.9 percent in September 2017.
The unemployment rate in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Lancaster and Seward counties, was 2.4 percent in September, down from 2.6 percent in August and 2.5 percent a year ago.
The number of people employed in the Lincoln area was up by more than 3,500 in September compared with a year ago, while the number of jobs increased by more than 3,400. The number of people unemployed was down by 162 compared with a year ago.
Statewide, the number of people employed last month was up by nearly 10,000 compared with September 2017, while the number of jobs increased by more than 18,000.
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Jobs in manufacturing, which has been seeing a resurgence in the state, were up 5 percent statewide compared with a year ago.
“Manufacturing contributed to another strong month of employment numbers," Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin said in a news release. He noted that manufacturing jobs grew 9 percent in the Omaha area. Lincoln, which has not seen the same kind of growth in its manufacturing sector, had a less than 1 percent increase in manufacturing jobs compared with a year ago.
The local and state unemployment rates remained well below the national rate of 3.7 percent, which was down from 4.2 percent in September 2017.