County unemployment rate slightly improves

The unemployment rate for Kimball County showed a slight improvement from July to August in numbers released last Friday by the Nebraska Department of Labor.

The numbers provided by the department showed a 3.1 percent unemployment rate for August, down from 3.5 percent in July. The August numbers showed there were 1,945 in the labor force last month with 1,884 employed and 61 unemployed. There were 1,954 in the July labor force with 1,886 employed and 68 unemployed.

The numbers for Banner County showed an increase of 1.4 percent in unemployment from July to August. Banner County had an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in August, with 394 employed and 22 unemployed. The county’s July unemployment rate was 3.9 percent. In July, there were 397 employed and 16 unemployed.

The Banner County numbers have increased almost 3 percent since June. The unemployment rate was 2.4 percent in June, with 400 employed and just 10 unemployed.

In other area counties, Cheyenne County had an August unemployment rate of 2.7 percent. It was a slight decrease of the 2.9 percent reported in August. Morrill County also showed a slight improvement from July to August. The August unemployment rate was 2.6 percent, down from 3.1 percent in July. Scotts Bluff County had an August unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, which was down from 4.2 percent in July.

The Panhandle Economic Region also showed a decrease in the unemployment rate from July to August. The August unemployment rate for the region was 3.4 percent, down from 3.9 percent in July. The Panhandle Economic Region includes Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux counties.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in August, an improvement from 3.9 percent in July. In seasonally adjusted statewide numbers, the unemployment rate remained steady from 3.6 percent from July to August. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in August, down from 6.2 percent in July.