Overall unemployment rate moved up to 2.9% with the biggest shift in Transportation & Utilities, which lost 4,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in March 2022.

Total employment in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA market rose by 1,376 jobs in January and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 130 bps to 2.9%. The national unemployment rate increased by 74 bps over the same time to 4.4%.

  • Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA unemployment rate is 153 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 70 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in January versus prior month by 7.1% 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 January 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -1.8%. Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 92,900; -4,000
  • Education & Healthcare: 79,900; -500
  • Business Services: 69,000; -200
  • Government: 65,600; -1,000
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 46,200; -1,900
  • Financial Services: 41,800; -500
  • Manufacturing: 34,300; +800
  • Construction, Mining: 28,700; -1,400
  • Other Jobs: 18,300; -300
  • IT & Development: 11,000; +100
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Unemployment by Industry January 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through January 2022 (Data published March 2022 and reports created on March 18, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.