Nebraska jobless rate unchanged at 3.8 pct

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for February was unchanged at 3.8 percent, matching the revised rates for January and December, the state Labor Department said in a report released Friday.

The rate was two-tenths of a point lower than in February 2012 and less than half this year’s national February rate of 7.7 percent.

The 3.8 percent state rate is the second-lowest figure in the country, trailing only North Dakota’s 3.3 percent.

Nonfarm employment rose by nearly 3,000 jobs since January and by 7,450 jobs since February last year, the department said.

According to the state...