The Nebraska WorkForce Index (WFI), which compares labor availability to job availability in Nebraska, regained some ground lost in the first quarter of 2011, decreasing from 1.66 to 1.58. The closer the index value is to 1.0, the closer Nebraska is to full employment. The state’s unemployment rate also decreased from 4.67 percent in the first quarter of 2011 to 4.2 percent in the second quarter. During this same period, Nebraska’s labor force increased by slightly over 15,700 with nearly 20,000 workers finding new employment, dropping the number of unemployed by over 4,200 and pushing the WFI closer to 1.0. The number of jobs posted during this period decreased slightly consistent with seasonal employment trends.
AIM’s job trend data shows increases in six job sectors, with three of those sectors posting increase for the second quarter in a row: Agriculture (74.5 percent), Arts, A/V Tech (44.4 percent), and Transportation (40 percent). The government and public administration and law and public safety sectors continued to decline, but at a much slower rate than the previous quarter. The seasonal bumps observed in the hospitality and tourism and architecture and construction sectors have disappeared.
The following industries saw job postings increase from the first quarter of 2011:
- *Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources 74.5%
- *Arts, A/V Technology and Communication 44.4%
- Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics 40.0%
- Health Science 21.5%
- Marketing Sales and Service 9.9%
- Information Technology 1.5%
The following industries saw job postings decrease from the first quarter of 2011:
- Government and Public Administration -2.2%
- Law and Public Safety -2.2%
- Hospitality & Tourism -8.2%
- Architecture & Construction -14.8%
- Business and Administration -15.8%
- Human Services -18.1%
- Manufacturing -21.8%
- Education and Training -32.3%
- Scientific Research/Engineering -36.7%
- Finance and Insurance -38.3%*
Figure 1: Job Postings, Number of Unemployed, WFI
Quarter
|
Job Postings
|
Unemployment
|
Index
|
|
Q1-2007
|
17,592
|
31,117
|
1.00
|
|
Q2-2007
|
19,365
|
29,127
|
0.85
|
|
Q3-2007
|
20,330
|
29,295
|
0.81
|
|
Q4-2007
|
20,616
|
26,410
|
0.72
|
|
Q1-2008
|
22,020
|
32,954
|
0.85
|
|
Q2-2008
|
23,369
|
31,504
|
0.76
|
|
Q3-2008
|
22,553
|
33,566
|
0.84
|
|
Q4-2008
|
18,513
|
34,845
|
1.06
|
|
Q1-2009
|
15,547
|
48,114
|
1.75
|
|
Q2-2009
|
13,856
|
47,270*
|
1.96
|
|
Q3-2009
|
15,621
|
47,535
|
1.72
|
|
Q4-2009
|
14,930
|
43,197
|
1.64
|
|
Q1-2010
|
16,476
|
53,590
|
1.84
|
|
Q2-2010
|
15,937
|
47,774
|
1.69
|
|
Q3-2010
|
16,111
|
44,247*
|
1.55
|
|
Q4-2010
|
14,934
|
40,070
|
1.52
|
|
Q1-2011
|
15,660
|
45,805
|
1.66
|
|
Q2-2011
|
14,947
|
41,667
|
1.58
|
|
