According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nebraska’s 2.7% unemployment rate ranks as the fifth lowest in the U.S. — a position the Cornhusker State has maintained for five straight months.

The low unemployment rate persists as Nebraska has added 50,000 jobs between February 2020, the month before the COVID pandemic struck, and August 2024.

But despite that growth, the number of individuals self-reporting as employed has increased by less than 7,000 over the same period, according to John McCoy and Nate Kauffman of the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

McCoy is an associate economist who co-authors the Nebraska Economist, while Kauffman is a senior vice president and lead officer and regional economist in Nebraska.

Their study, published last week, found the number of Nebraskans working more than one job increased by nearly 5,300 between 2019 and 2024, exceeding the pre-pandemic level.

Across the country, the number of individuals who hold multiple jobs has reached only the 2019 levels.

McCoy and Kauffman said 80% of Nebraskans working multiple jobs tend to work more than 40 hours a week, compared to just 25% of those with one job.

On average, those working at multiple places tend to work about 51 hours per week, compared to 38 hours a week for individuals who are employed at one place — a sign the economists said means those individuals are not seeking to simply reach full-time equivalence.

The number of Nebraskans working more hours and multiple jobs for lower pay has historically trended downward, but it reversed during the pandemic, the study states.

“Despite working multiple jobs for longer-than-average hours, those holding more than one job have earned less on average per week than those with only one job,” the study found.

“In fact, in Nebraska, average wages for those with only one job were higher than those working more than one job every year since 2000,” the authors wrote.

McCoy and Kauffman said the trend “could point to new financial difficulties for some households” in Nebraska and was a data point for economists to watch in the coming months.

Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the increase in Nebraskans holding multiple jobs might be the offshoot of what has generally been a higher labor force participation rate in Nebraska.

Or, he said, it also could be reflective of a hardworking culture embraced by Nebraskans.

“It could be Nebraskans have a greater-than-average taste for work than other parts of the country,” Thompson said. “Or maybe there’s less to do around here, so you’re giving up less when you’re working.”

Thompson said as the long-term labor force participation rates in the U.S. were trending down, especially for men, data showing more Nebraskans are willing to fill gaps could be seen as encouraging.

“Ultimately, it may say something good about our economy,” he said.