Employment by state and metropolitan area-

[Omaha Cowboy]

This is some interesting data. The latest from the US Department of Labor:

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.t03.htm

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[nativeomahan]

Well, At least Omaha held its own, even as the state as a whole contracted.

[strangerthings]

Nebraska as a whole is loosing ground

Omaha employment 12 month change %

November -3.0
October -3.1
December -2.8

https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ne_omaha_msa.htm

[Omaha Cowboy]

The Omaha metro continues to hold its own...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[strangerthings]

From the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Metro : Year over Year Change (%) in employment for December

New York: -10.4%
San Fransisco: -9.7%
LA: -9%
Seattle: -7.5%
Chicago: -7.4%

Des Moines: -5.3%
STL : -4.6%
Nashville: -4.1%

Kansas City: -2.8%
Omaha: -2.0%
Lincoln Nebraksa: -1.9%

Austin: -1%
Indianapolis: -0.9%
SLC: -0.5%

[Omaha Cowboy]

Omaha continues to weather the pandemic storm quite nicely..

It certainly helps to have a solid, diversified and stable economy to begin with...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Cermak]

Have a hard time believing Austin lost jobs, that place is growing like crazy. Incredible growth going on down there. Could be 3 million people residing in the Austin metro in the not to distant future. It recently passed KC.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Job losses have happened everywhere. Even in metros that people think are unlikely for job loss..

I’m just happy to see Omaha hold it’s own and take a minimal job loss hit...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[strangerthings]

Have a hard time believing Austin lost jobs, that place is growing like crazy. Incredible growth going on down there. Could be 3 million people residing in the Austin metro in the not to distant future. It recently passed KC.

The big job announcements will take months or years to pan out. Like every other city, Austin has seen a big decline in leisure and hospitality in 2020.

[strangerthings]

Omaha continues to weather the pandemic storm quite nicely..

It certainly helps to have a solid, diversified and stable economy to begin with...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Omaha numbers were revised for December. Yoy decline is 2.3% now on 6,600 jobs added. Labor force increased slightly.

KC, Austin, and Nashville saw their labor forces increase yoy fro December

[Omaha Cowboy]

Omaha continues to weather the pandemic storm quite nicely..

It certainly helps to have a solid, diversified and stable economy to begin with...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Omaha numbers were revised for December. Yoy decline is 2.3% now on 6,600 jobs added. Labor force increased slightly.

KC, Austin, and Nashville saw their labor forces increase yoy fro December

Thanks for the update ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[strangerthings]

Total Nonfarm yoy. previous months revised some too

August: -5.1
september: -4.7
october:-4.4
november:-4.4
december: -3.5
january: -3.9

[strangerthings]

Omaha



Des Moines



Kansas City



St. Louis



Cleveland



Cincinatti



Nashville

[Omaha Cowboy]

Numbers all over the place..

Hmm...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[ita]

What's telling is Omaha, at least as of April 2021, hasn't recovered in terms of labor force like other cities have. It's an interesting, and somewhat surprising statistic. It looks like we have lost 12,000 or so from our peak.

[strangerthings]

What's telling is Omaha, at least as of April 2021, hasn't recovered in terms of labor force like other cities have. It's an interesting, and somewhat surprising statistic. It looks like we have lost 12,000 or so from our peak.

I was a little surprised by the Omaha charts.
Des Moines seems to be doing better than Omaha in recovery. Wichita is also down around 12,000 from April 2020 but up from April 2019.

Seems that the heat turning up in mid-sized cities(KC, Nashville, Cincinatti) but not small/mid sized ones. San Fran is down big in labor force, and not improving which could be a sign of out migration from their metro.

[Omaha Cowboy]

What's telling is Omaha, at least as of April 2021, hasn't recovered in terms of labor force like other cities have. It's an interesting, and somewhat surprising statistic. It looks like we have lost 12,000 or so from our peak.

I was a little surprised by the Omaha charts.
Des Moines seems to be doing better than Omaha in recovery. Wichita is also down around 12,000 from April 2020 but up from April 2019.

Seems that the heat turning up in mid-sized cities(KC, Nashville, Cincinatti) but not small/mid sized ones. San Fran is down big in labor force, and not improving which could be a sign of out migration from their metro.

Not that any of us are, but I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape over these numbers..It’s a month to month read and as we know, especially in the beginning of our “Post Covid Recovery”, the May/June/July numbers could tell a completely different story..

We’ll see...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[ita]

What's telling is Omaha, at least as of April 2021, hasn't recovered in terms of labor force like other cities have. It's an interesting, and somewhat surprising statistic. It looks like we have lost 12,000 or so from our peak.

I was a little surprised by the Omaha charts.
Des Moines seems to be doing better than Omaha in recovery. Wichita is also down around 12,000 from April 2020 but up from April 2019.

Seems that the heat turning up in mid-sized cities(KC, Nashville, Cincinatti) but not small/mid sized ones. San Fran is down big in labor force, and not improving which could be a sign of out migration from their metro.

Not that any of us are, but I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape over these numbers..It’s a month to month read and as we know, especially in the beginning of our “Post Covid Recovery”, the May/June/July numbers could tell a completely different story..

We’ll see...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I am not sure of the specifics of how they count the labor force, but with employment in Omaha mimicking the other cities' performance, but Omaha really seeing a drop in labor force, it's strong evidence of the type of labor shortage Omaha is experiencing. It will be interesting to see labor force number over the next few month, as you said Cowboy, but with Omaha/Nebraska being generally in line with other cities listed in terms of 'reopening' the local economies from a temporal standpoint, I would really like to know where the attrition is; retirees, mothers/fathers leaving the workforce due to childcare, people moving away, etc.

[Omaha Cowboy]

What's telling is Omaha, at least as of April 2021, hasn't recovered in terms of labor force like other cities have. It's an interesting, and somewhat surprising statistic. It looks like we have lost 12,000 or so from our peak.

I was a little surprised by the Omaha charts.
Des Moines seems to be doing better than Omaha in recovery. Wichita is also down around 12,000 from April 2020 but up from April 2019.

Seems that the heat turning up in mid-sized cities(KC, Nashville, Cincinatti) but not small/mid sized ones. San Fran is down big in labor force, and not improving which could be a sign of out migration from their metro.

Not that any of us are, but I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape over these numbers..It’s a month to month read and as we know, especially in the beginning of our “Post Covid Recovery”, the May/June/July numbers could tell a completely different story..

We’ll see...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I would really like to know where the attrition is; retirees, mothers/fathers leaving the workforce due to childcare, people moving away, etc.

Moving away..I’m not so much convinced of, especially during a Pandemic.. But I believe retirees and parents of young children are valid reasons for some of this workforce attrition. What the last 15 months have shown employers and employees alike, is the paradigm for most in the “traditional work setting” has changed and probably for good in many ways. It’s likely too, that many who worked in our traditional work force before the Pandemic, have found new and creative ways to make a living- working for themselves and leaving the corporate workplace for good..

This all said, there are plenty of jobs available in the Omaha metro and nation wide. Potential employee candidates can afford to be picky..as likely 2-5 companies are competing to attract the same person(s). Stakes are getting higher and pots are being sweetened that’s for sure...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[BRoss]

Moving away..I’m not so much convinced of, especially during a Pandemic..

There seems to be a bunch of people from my office that moved away this past year. I think 4 or 5.

[Erik]

Investing in the extremes of crypto has taught me something very valuable.

Give it another data point or two. It will surprise you

[Omaha Cowboy]

Moving away..I’m not so much convinced of, especially during a Pandemic..

There seems to be a bunch of people from my office that moved away this past year. I think 4 or 5.

Not meant to be glib at all , but the biggest move I’ve seen made within the past 15 months, is people moving away from the office (obviously by necessity) to work from home..not necessarily moving away from Omaha..however, I’m sure there is some of that..my gut tells me though, it’s not a significant enough happenstance to help drive the civilian labor force down over the past year 4/20 to 4/21..

But we’ll see. These are month by month numbers..and like I stated earlier, May/June/July etc could indicate a completely different trend...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[BRoss]

Moving away..I’m not so much convinced of, especially during a Pandemic..

There seems to be a bunch of people from my office that moved away this past year. I think 4 or 5.

Not meant to be glib at all , but the biggest move I’ve seen made within the past 15 months, is people moving away from the office (obviously by necessity) to work from home..not necessarily moving away from Omaha..however, I’m sure there is some of that..my gut tells me though, it’s not a significant enough happenstance to help drive the civilian labor force down over the past year 4/20 to 4/21..

But we’ll see. These are month by month numbers..and like I stated earlier, May/June/July etc could indicate a completely different trend...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Yeah, it kind of surprised me to hear of those who left.

There's also been some taking the opportunity to truly work remotely. Some camping, some on the road, some on an island for an extended period...

[Omaha Cowboy]

Moving away..I’m not so much convinced of, especially during a Pandemic..

There seems to be a bunch of people from my office that moved away this past year. I think 4 or 5.

Not meant to be glib at all , but the biggest move I’ve seen made within the past 15 months, is people moving away from the office (obviously by necessity) to work from home..not necessarily moving away from Omaha..however, I’m sure there is some of that..my gut tells me though, it’s not a significant enough happenstance to help drive the civilian labor force down over the past year 4/20 to 4/21..

But we’ll see. These are month by month numbers..and like I stated earlier, May/June/July etc could indicate a completely different trend...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Yeah, it kind of surprised me to hear of those who left.

There's also been some taking the opportunity to truly work remotely. Some camping, some on the road, some on an island for an extended period...

Interesting you mention that. I’ve been watching YouTube content creators who, over the last year or so, have decided to live on the road..some in their cars/SUV’s/campers etc and travel throughout the US. There is one YouTuber, she lives in her 2006 Toyota Prius with her dog and just travels around the country. She’s 28 years old. I believe she does her “work” on her laptop as she travels about..

There seems to be an uptick of this type of lifestyle since the pandemic started...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Brad]

Interesting you mention that. I’ve been watching YouTube content creators who, over the last year or so, have decided to live on the road..some in their cars/SUV’s/campers etc and travel throughout the US. There is one YouTuber, she lives in her 2006 Toyota Prius with her dog and just travels around the country. She’s 28 years old. I believe she does her “work” on her laptop as she travels about..

While I have no plans of ever living "On the Road" full time, I did get a small taste of it in May. I was heading to the Badlands for a photograph trip. A lady called and needed a photo shoot in North Platte. I scrapped my plans that day, did the photo shoot in North Platte. Downloaded my photos while driving though the Nebraska Sandhills. A couple days later I edited the photos in the back of my car at the campground and then used the campground wifi to upload them to the client. All my billing an payment is online too. I ended up making enough to pay for the trip and did it all remotely in the middle of nowhere.

There seems to be an uptick of this type of lifestyle since the pandemic started...

The "Van Life People" (that's what I call them) have mentioned a lot last year how crowded everything got.. The thing I found interesting is what some of the people that have been on the road for 4 or 5 years ended up doing during the pandemic. Most settled down in one location for at least a few months before hitting the road again full time.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Interesting you mention that. I’ve been watching YouTube content creators who, over the last year or so, have decided to live on the road..some in their cars/SUV’s/campers etc and travel throughout the US. There is one YouTuber, she lives in her 2006 Toyota Prius with her dog and just travels around the country. She’s 28 years old. I believe she does her “work” on her laptop as she travels about..

While I have no plans of ever living "On the Road" full time, I did get a small taste of it in May. I was heading to the Badlands for a photograph trip. A lady called and needed a photo shoot in North Platte. I scrapped my plans that day, did the photo shoot in North Platte. Downloaded my photos while driving though the Nebraska Sandhills. A couple days later I edited the photos in the back of my car at the campground and then used the campground wifi to upload them to the client. All my billing an payment is online too. I ended up making enough to pay for the trip and did it all remotely in the middle of nowhere.

That’s an Interesting experience for sure..

There is part of me that finds the “on the road” lifestyle very appealing. As I watch these YouTube content creators chronicle their journeys, I, admittedly, find myself getting a bit jealous. I admire that sort of freedom which allows one to dictate the events of their day, as opposed to letting the daily job events within the work “grind” dictate mine or ours.. I’m certain though, there is good and bad to that lifestyle too and much of the non appealing “stuff” gets edited out of their videos..

Still, I could see myself going “off the grid” for 4-6 weeks and living that “on the road” lifestyle. If I ever did, I’d think a mid fall or mid spring time period would be best for me- ultimately the last week of September through the month of October would be ideal..but the when depends on where you’d generally plan to travel as well I’d think...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[strangerthings]

I went back and pulled labor force data for all months for the past 10 years. Omaha's LF does appear to be lagging other cities. Let me know if there are other places that you would liked pulled.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I went back and pulled labor force data for all months for the past 10 years. Omaha's LF does appear to be lagging other cities.

Thanks for the intel.. but regardless, I just don’t buy the data..mainly because it belies the growth of the overall Omaha metropolitan area this past decade..And the data is not consistent with the growth of business in Omaha’s diversified economy over this past 15 months either. Omaha’s civilian LF was growing just fine into 2020, then the pandemic hit..and I believe it’s possible for the data since, to be eschew. Numbers can appear deceiving, and my suspicion is these numbers are worth questioning..

In the end, as I’ve stated before, I don’t think this is anything to get alarmed over...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[strangerthings]

3,400 jobs added in May.

[Omaha Cowboy]

3,400 jobs added in May.

I would assume for Omaha’s Civilian LF correct?…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[strangerthings]

3,400 jobs added in May.

I would assume for Omaha’s Civilian LF correct?…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

LF data comes out next week. Jobs numbers I provided is non-farm employment including GOV which came out this week.

[Omaha Cowboy]

3,400 jobs added in May.

I would assume for Omaha’s Civilian LF correct?…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

LF data comes out next week. Jobs numbers I provided is non-farm employment including GOV which came out this week.

Okay. Very cool. Great info!

Thanks for this data …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[strangerthings]

[Omaha Cowboy]

The number of employed is up significantly over May of 2020..

My guess is the further along we get into this year, closer to 2022, the LF numbers will begin to grow back..

This pandemic has thrown these type of measurements off kilter..but it’s unlikely the way people look at “work” and “the workplace” will ever return back to what it was prior to March 2020…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[strangerthings]

BLS released June non-farm payroll.

Omaha added 4700 jobs in June. Metro is back to ~2015 levels.

[Omaha Cowboy]

And rising..

Should be back up to pre pandemic level before the end of 2021…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[strangerthings]

July numbers are out.

Labor Force: 496.0
Employment: 483.2
Non-Farm: 493.3

At a glance, LF growth is stalling but employment growth is still is strong

[strangerthings]

August Total Non-Farm Employment for Omaha

494.5 in 2021 vs 509.3 in 2019. Just below 2015 August levels.

The Omaha recovery peaked in June 2021 and has not made much movement back in that direction since.

[Brad]

The Omaha recovery peaked in June 2021 and has not made much movement back in that direction since.

Any idea why? Seems like every single business is using the "Were understaffed" excuse right now. Not just fast food, all sorts of businesses.

[ita]

Nebraska unemployment rate of 2.2% is lowest on record

AP
Nebraska's unemployment rate for August of 2.2% was the nation's lowest and the lowest on record for the state, a state agency reported Friday.

The Nebraska Department of Labor said the August rate was down slightly from July's rate of 2.3%. The 2.2% is the lowest since Nebraska began keeping records of unemployment data in 1976.

The total for nonfarm employment in August stood at 1.019 million.

In Iowa, the unemployment rate for August held steady at 4.1% as the number of unemployed residents increased slightly, a state agency reported Friday.

The number of unemployed Iowans increased by 300 to 67,900, according to Iowa Workforce Development. The number of residents with jobs dropped by 1,600 to stand at 1.59 million.

Nebraska's unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation, ahead of number two Utah's 2.6% rate. Iowa's unemployment rate is ranked 17th nationally. The national unemployment rate for August was 5.2%.

Holy cow! that is both good and bad. We need more people to fill the literally thousands of jobs out there. There was article yesterday about the understaffed state jail. There are crises happening due to lack of people either available or wiling to work. I wonder if we will see some wage inflation.