California unemployment rate unchanged at 5.5 percent

Employment numbers are gathered by a survey of employers.

Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September is 5.4 percent, the same rate calculated for August.

Nebraska’s unemployment rate remained stable at 3.2 percent in September, matching the August figure, according to a new report issued Friday. The county’s workforce was unchanged between August and September, at 12,511, while the number of employed workers rose from 11,710 to 11,772.

For the month of September this key indicator stood at 59 percent – down from 59.1 percent in August. The unemployment rate reflects the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force. Construction firms added 3,300 jobs in September.

Unfortunately, the unemployment rate is dropping because the size of the state’s workforce is shrinking. Over the year, Leisure and Hospitality added 14,100 (+4.0%) jobs.

The only declines were in construction (-1,300), mining and logging (-1,200) and manufacturing (-700). Four added more than 50,000 each, led by professional and business services with a gain of 92,100 (up 3.7 percent). The largest increases occurred in the healthcare/social assistance, professional/business services and trade/transportation/utilities sectors. Accommodation and food services subsector added 1,500, up 0.9%. Kansas lost 6,300 private sector jobs since September 2015. “Tampa also leads the state in job openings, with more than 47,000 openings available for families”. Over the year, Information lost 700 (-0.8%) jobs. According to the Governor’s Office, the state has created more than 1.2 million jobs since December 2010. Total employment estimates, which include the self-employed and agricultural employment in addition to payroll employment, indicated a smaller over-the-month gain of roughly 100 jobs. Over the year, Government gained 5,700 (+1.3%) jobs.