ABC: Nebraska Maintains Lowest NSA Construction Unemployment Rates

March not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates were down in nationally and in 27 states and unchanged in two on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC; www.abcnebraska.org). The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 8.4 percent was down 0.3 percent from March 2016, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). “This was the lowest national NSA March construction unemployment rate on record, matching the 8.4 percent rate in March 2001,” said Bernard M. Markstein, Ph.D., president and chief economist of Markstein Advisors, who conducted the analysis for ABC. “BLS data also showed that the industry employed 184,000 more workers than in March 2016. In sum, the construction sector remains healthy even as employers cope with shortages of skilled construction workers.” The states with the lowest estimated NSA construction unemployment rates in order from lowest rate to highest were: Nebraska and Colorado (tie), Utah, Kansas, and Iowa. Three states—Nebraska, Colorado and Utah—were also among the top five in February. Nebraska and Colorado, both with a 4.3 percent estimated NSA construction unemployment rate, had the lowest rate among the states.For Nebraska, this was an improvement from tying with Idaho for the third lowest rate in February and the state’s second lowest March rate (behind last year’s 4.2 percent rate) since 2008.