Published 1/20/2016
Results of the Metro Area Labor Availability Survey, which included the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas in Nebraska, discovered that there are an estimated 247,692 potential job seekers in the Lincoln survey area. The majority of these potential job seekers are currently employed. Others are out of work or seeking to reenter the workforce after time spent in retirement or homemaking.
These potential job seekers indicated that they are willing to take new work or change jobs in the next year if a suitable job presents itself. The median wage sought by this group is a minimum of $40,560 annually, or $19.50 an hour for full-time, year-round work. Nearly all (97%) potential job seekers stated that they are willing to commute 15 minutes or more each way for suitable work. The median tenure of employed poten- tial job seekers at their current job is three years. More than half said they have at least a bachelor’s degree. Potential job seekers identified salary, use of skills they already possessed, and a schedule that fit their needs as the most important factors in improving their employment situation. They named inadequate pay offered by area employers, lack of job opportunities in the area, and inadequate benefits offered by area employers as the most common barriers to improving their employment situation.
To read the full Lincoln Labor Availability Report, click here.