Nebraska Had Nation’s Lowest Unemployment Rate in May
Nebraska had the nation’s lowest unemployment rate in May after taking a big hit from the coronavirus pandemic, according to federal data released Friday.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2% last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s down 3.5 percentage points from the rate of 8.7% in April, when unemployment soared due to coronavirus-related social-distancing restrictions.
“Today’s announcement that Nebraska now has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation is good news for small businesses and hardworking families who have already returned to work,” Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. “While there is much left to do to get Nebraskans back to work, this data shows that Nebraska is open for business and that people are getting back to a more normal life while protecting our hospital system.”
Nebraska Labor Commissioner John Albion said the state’s data is more volatile because of the pandemic.
The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 13.3%, a decrease of 1.4 percentage points.
Iowa’s unemployment rate was 10% in May, down from April but still remarkably high as many businesses and organizations curtailed operations due to the coronavirus, according to figures released Friday.
Iowa Workforce Development reported the May unemployment rate declined from 11% in April but was more than triple the 2.7% rate in May 2019. Director Beth Townsend noted the number of continuing unemployment claims has decreased, indicating more people were returning to work.
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