Overall unemployment rate moved down to 2.5% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 1,600 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2022.

Total employment in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA market declined by 347 jobs in August and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 20 bps to 2.5%. The national unemployment rate stayed flat over the same time period at 3.8%.

  • Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA unemployment rate is 129 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 40 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in August versus prior month by 4% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Unemployment August 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 0.1% . Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 94,200; +800
  • Education & Healthcare: 79,800; -900
  • Business Services: 73,200; +700
  • Government: 64,000; +1,400
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 52,700; -1,600
  • Financial Services: 41,000; -100
  • Manufacturing: 34,400; no change
  • Construction, Mining: 33,400; +100
  • Other Jobs: 18,800; no change
  • IT & Development: 11,300; +100
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Unemployment by Industry August 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through August 2022 (Data published September 2022 and reports created on September 28, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.