Nebraska is renowned for its strong work ethic, thriving agricultural sector, and vibrant communities in the heart of the American Midwest.
Nebraska has 71 available workers for every 100 open jobs.
Its Worker Shortage Index stands at 0.29.
There are 46,000 job openings and 32,431 unemployed workers.
The labor force participation rate is 69.8%, with an unemployment rate of 3.0%.
The quit rate is 2.0,% and the hiring rate is 3.6%.[1]
The Cornhusker State has been grappling with a pressing issue, including a significant labor shortage, that threatens to disrupt its economic growth and stability.
The state finds itself at a critical juncture. The shortage of skilled workers across various industries has reached alarming levels, necessitating a concerted effort to address this challenge.
The labor shortage in Nebraska has affected multiple sectors, from agriculture and manufacturing to healthcare and information technology.
One of the primary factors contributing to this shortage is the state’s demographic shift. Like many other regions in the United States, Nebraska is experiencing an aging population, with a significant portion of the workforce nearing retirement age.
This demographic trend has resulted in a shrinking pool of available workers to meet the demands of a growing economy.
The exodus of young talent from rural areas to urban centers has exacerbated the labor shortage in Nebraska.
Many young Nebraskans are lured by the opportunities and amenities offered by metropolitan areas, leaving behind gaps in the workforce in smaller towns and rural communities.
This urban-rural divide has created a significant imbalance in the distribution of workers, posing a considerable challenge for businesses and industries across the state.
The impact of the labor shortage is felt acutely in key sectors that serve as Nebraska’s economic backbone.
The shortage of farm laborers and agricultural workers has led to operational challenges for farmers and ranchers, affecting production levels and supply chains.
The manufacturing industry needs help finding qualified workers to operate advanced machinery and drive innovation.
The healthcare sector is also under strain, with a growing demand for healthcare professionals such as nurses, physicians, and caregivers, outpacing the available workforce.
The technology sector, which plays an increasingly vital role in Nebraska’s economy, is not immune to the effects of the labor shortage.
Companies specializing in software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics struggled to help recruit and retain top talent, hindering their ability to compete in a global marketplace.
Addressing the labor shortage in Nebraska requires a multifaceted approach that combines short-term solutions with long-term strategies to develop a sustainable workforce pipeline.
Partnerships facilitating internships, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs can bridge the skills gap and provide students and job seekers with pathways to gainful employment in high-demand industries.
Nebraska policymakers must prioritize initiatives promoting workforce participation and talent retention across the state.
It is essential to address systemic barriers that hinder workforce participation, such as disparities in access to quality education, healthcare, and transportation.
Fostering relationships between industry, academia, government, and community stakeholders can help the state develop holistic solutions that address the root causes of the labor shortage and build a resilient and dynamic workforce for the future.
Solutions to navigate the labor shortage
1. Invest in training and upskilling programs to reskill existing employees and enhance employee retention.
One immediate step that businesses can take is to invest in training and upskilling programs to reskill existing employees and equip them with the necessary competencies to fill critical roles.
The total fall enrollment has increased by approximately 1.4% compared to last year, resulting in a total decrease of 2.1% over the past 11 years.[2]
By fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, companies can enhance employee retention and mitigate the impact of the labor shortage.
Investing in workforce training programs tailored to the needs of industries experiencing labor shortages can help workers fill in-demand positions.
Businesses can develop training programs that equip individuals with the necessary skills and certifications to succeed in roles ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to healthcare and technology through partnering with educational institutions.
Apprenticeship programs offer a valuable avenue for individuals to gain hands-on experience and training in specific trades or industries.
Nebraska can attract individuals seeking to enter the workforce and provide them with a structured pathway to develop skills and expertise through promoting apprenticeship opportunities in collaboration with businesses, labor unions, and government agencies.
Collaborations between industry stakeholders, educational institutions, and government agencies are essential to aligning workforce development efforts with the labor market’s evolving needs.
Aligning educational curricula with industry needs and promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education can equip the residents with the technical skills and knowledge required to thrive in a rapidly evolving economy.
2. Hire international workers.
The EB-3 visa[3] provides a route for unskilled workers to obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States, potentially filling the labor force gaps.
Nebraska businesses can recruit foreign workers to fill critical roles in industries facing labor shortages by expanding access to the EB-3 visa program[4] and streamlining the application process for unskilled workers.
This strategy presents a valuable avenue for businesses to mitigate labor shortages and ensure continued productivity and expansion.
Investing in infrastructure, affordable housing, and quality healthcare services in rural areas can help attract and retain a diverse workforce, ensuring that communities outside urban centers remain vibrant and sustainable.
3. Address systemic barriers that hinder workforce participation, such as disparities in access to quality education, healthcare, and transportation.
This strategy involves implementing targeted policies and programs to ensure equal opportunities for all individuals to access these essential resources.
The state boasts a higher life expectancy of 79.5 years, surpassing the national average of 79.1 years.[5]
Focusing on improving access to quality education, healthcare, and reliable transportation creates an environment where everyone has the necessary tools and support to fully participate in the workforce, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society.
4. Promote inclusivity and diversity in the workforce to tap into a broader talent pool and leverage the skills and perspectives of individuals from all backgrounds.
By promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workforce, Nebraska can tap into a broader talent pool and leverage the skills and perspectives of individuals from all backgrounds.
The employment-to-population ratio was 62.6 percent for Asians, 60.0 percent for both Whites and Blacks and 63.5 percent for individuals of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.[6]
By embracing inclusivity and diversity, organizations can cultivate an environment where every employee feels valued and respected, ultimately leading to heightened innovation, creativity, and overall success.
Diverse teams are better equipped to understand and cater to a wide range of customers, leading to improved customer satisfaction and business growth.
The Takeaway
Addressing the workforce shortage in Nebraska is a complex task that requires a multifaceted approach, combining short-term solutions with long-term strategies to develop a sustainable workforce pipeline.
By fostering partnerships between industry, academia, government, and community stakeholders, the state can work towards holistic solutions that address the root causes of the labor shortage.
Investing in training and upskilling programs, prioritizing initiatives promoting workforce participation, and addressing systemic barriers are crucial steps in mitigating the impact of the labor shortage.
Exploring options such as the EB-3 visa program to attract skilled workers from other countries can contribute to building a resilient and dynamic workforce for the future, ensuring continued economic growth and stability for the state.
Through concerted efforts and collaboration, Nebraska can build a resilient and dynamic workforce for the future, ensuring continued economic growth and stability for the state.
How To Address the Workforce Shortage in Nebraska (Step-by-step)
Step 1: Confirm your numbers and where the gap is worst.
Start by validating the severity of Nebraska’s shortage using the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Worker Shortage Index and its “available workers per 100 open jobs” metric.
The Chamber explains that this ratio compares unemployed workers to job openings, and a ratio like 0.39 means only 39 available workers for every 100 open jobs, which signals a severe mismatch between hiring demand and the local talent pool.
Use the Chamber’s interactive state map and Nebraska snapshot as your baseline, then document the exact indicators you’ll track monthly, job openings, unemployed workers, labor force participation, unemployment rate, quit rate, and hiring rate, so you can pinpoint whether your biggest problem is not enough applicants, too much turnover, or both.
This baseline makes every next solution measurable and helps you prioritize industries and regions where the shortage is most acute.
Step 2: Audit turnover and hiring friction using BLS JOLTS.
Next, use the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) to identify why positions aren’t staying filled in Nebraska.
JOLTS tracks key signals that reveal where your hiring pipeline breaks: job openings (demand), hires (how effectively you’re filling roles), quits (voluntary turnover), and total separations (all exits). When openings stay high but hires are flat, the issue is usually applicant supply, pay competitiveness, screening speed, or scheduling barriers.
When quits are elevated, the issue is often retention, workload, supervision, inconsistent hours, limited advancement, or wages that don’t match job demands.
Pull the latest state-level data, compare it to prior months and the same season last year, and then match those trends to what you’re seeing internally (time-to-fill, early-tenure resignations, no-show rates, and overtime spikes).
This gives you a fact-based diagnosis so you can choose the right fix, more recruiting, better retention, or both before spending money in the wrong place.
Step 3: Build fast training pathways for your current workforce.
One of the quickest ways to reduce vacancies is to grow talent from within by turning dependable entry-level employees into higher-skill, higher-impact workers.
Start by listing the roles that are hardest to fill like shift leads, machine operators, maintenance helpers, tech support, or certified care role then break each role into the exact skills needed to succeed (for example: equipment safety, quality checks, basic troubleshooting, customer handling, or credentialed care tasks).
Build short, practical upskilling tracks that employees can complete while working, using paid training time, clear milestones, and job-shadowing with your best performers.
Partner with local community colleges, workforce boards, or approved training providers to deliver certifications where needed, and make the payoff obvious by tying completion to wage progression, title changes, and predictable scheduling improvements.
When employees can see a real pathway to better pay and stability within months not years retention improves, quit rates drop, and you reduce dependence on a tight external labor market.
Step 4: Expand your talent pool with structured work-based learning.
To widen your hiring funnel in a tight market, create work-based learning programs that turn beginners into job-ready employees while they’re already on your team.
Build internships for students and career changers, apprenticeships for roles that require hands-on skill development, and mentorship tracks for fast promotion into lead roles.
Design each pathway around employer-defined competencies, what a person must be able to do on the job, not just what they “studied and set simple milestones like 30/60/90-day skill checklists, supervised task sign-offs, and safety or quality benchmarks.
Pair each participant with a trained mentor, schedule regular check-ins, and offer a clear outcome: a permanent job offer or guaranteed interview when milestones are met.
When the program has measurable standards, paid learning time, and a real job at the end, it becomes a reliable pipeline that fills roles consistently instead of a feel-good initiative that doesn’t move hiring numbers.
Step 5: Remove barriers that block people from working consistently.
If Nebraska’s challenge is participation and retention, the fastest wins often come from fixing real-life obstacles that make attendance hard even for motivated workers.
Start by identifying your top “drop-off” reasons for late arrivals, absentee spikes, early quits in the first 90 days and map them to barriers like unreliable transportation, inconsistent child care, unpredictable schedules, and limited access to healthcare.
Then implement practical supports: coordinate carpools or subsidized transit options, offer shift stability with posted schedules farther in advance, reduce last-minute overtime and swing-shift changes, and create more flexible start times where the operation allows it.
Consider partnerships with local child care providers, referral programs, or emergency back-up options for peak seasons.
Add benefits navigation help for healthcare and mental health resources, because untreated issues often show up as missed shifts.
When employers make work easier to show up for, employees stay longer, no-shows decline, and you convert “available workers” into consistently working employees.
Step 6: Make hiring more inclusive to unlock underused labor.
When the labor market is tight, inclusive hiring isn’t a slogan, it’s a practical way to access workers you may be overlooking.
Start by reviewing your job ads and screening rules to remove unnecessary barriers, such as degree requirements for roles that can be learned with structured training, overly rigid schedules that eliminate caregivers, or experience demands that exclude new entrants who could ramp quickly.
Expand recruiting channels beyond the usual sources by partnering with community groups, schools, and workforce programs, and make your application process mobile-friendly and fast to complete.
Inside the workplace, support retention with predictable scheduling, clear anti-harassment policies, safe reporting, and supervisor training so everyone feels respected and supported.
Offer options that appeal to older workers like lighter-duty roles, part-time shifts, or phased schedules while providing mentorship opportunities that use their experience to train others.
Finally, track pay and promotions to ensure people can advance based on performance, because visible fairness strengthens trust and helps diverse hires stay long enough to become your next round of team leads.
Step 7: For long-term shortages, consider lawful permanent hiring via EB-3 (employer-sponsored).
When Nebraska employers face chronic, year-after-year hiring gaps in essential entry-level roles, it may be worth exploring employer-sponsored permanent hiring through the EB-3 category, especially the “Other Workers” subcategory for roles requiring less than two years of training or experience and that are not temporary or seasonal.
USCIS confirms EB-3 covers skilled workers, professionals, and “other workers,” and that “other workers” are for permanent jobs that typically need under two years of preparation.
This approach is not a quick fix, but it can stabilize staffing over time because it is built around permanent, full-time employment and a regulated process.
Employers must also complete the Department of Labor’s PERM labor certification stage, where DOL must certify there are not sufficient U.S. workers “able, willing, qualified, and available” for the job in the area of intended employment and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect U.S. workers’ wages and conditions.
Step 8: If pursuing EB-3, follow the DOL-to-USCIS process in the correct order.
If an employer decides EB-3 is the right long-term strategy, the most important rule is to follow the legal sequence because skipping steps or cutting corners can trigger delays, audits, or denials later.
The process generally begins with the Department of Labor’s Permanent Labor Certification (PERM), which is employer-led and exists to protect U.S. workers by confirming the employer is offering the required wage and that there are not sufficient U.S. workers “able, willing.
After PERM is certified, the employer typically files the immigrant petition with USCIS under the EB-3 category, using the PERM outcome as a core foundation for the case.
From there, the worker either proceeds through consular processing abroad or adjustment of status in the U.S. (if eligible), and timing depends on visa number availability shown in the Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin.
Frequently Asked Questions: Nebraska Workforce Shortage Solutions (2024)
1 Why is Nebraska facing a workforce shortage in 2025, and what do the numbers really mean for employers?
Nebraska’s workforce shortage is happening because there are simply not enough available workers to match the number of open jobs.
When a state has about 71 available workers for every 100 job openings, it means employers are competing hard for the same limited group of people.
This problem is made worse by an aging workforce, because many experienced workers are nearing retirement and leaving faster than new workers are entering.
Rural communities also feel the shortage more because many young people move to bigger cities for more opportunities and lifestyle options.
The result is a strain across industries like agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and technology, where openings stay unfilled longer.
For employers, this usually shows up as longer time-to-hire, higher overtime costs, and teams running short-staffed.
Over time, it can slow growth, reduce production, and make it harder to deliver consistent customer service.2 What is the fastest solution businesses can use right now to fill roles without waiting for new workers to move in?
One of the fastest solutions is to train and upskill the workers you already have, because it can reduce vacancies without relying entirely on the external job market.
Instead of searching for “perfect” candidates, companies can identify reliable employees and help them grow into hard-to-fill roles like machine operators, shift leads, maintenance helpers, or certified care positions.
This works best when training is practical, job-specific, and broken into short steps employees can complete while working.
When employers offer paid training time, clear milestones, and a wage increase or promotion after completion, employees are more likely to stay.
Partnering with community colleges, workforce boards, or industry training providers can speed up certification and improve quality.
Over time, this approach improves retention, lowers quit rates, and builds a steady internal pipeline.
It also strengthens morale because employees can see a real future at the company instead of feeling stuck.3 How can Nebraska employers expand their talent pool if there aren’t enough applicants locally, especially in rural areas?
Employers can expand their talent pool by creating structured work-based learning programs that help beginners become job-ready while they are already part of the organization.
Internships, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs work well because they allow companies to hire for attitude and reliability first, then build skills through paid, guided training.
This is especially helpful in rural communities where experienced talent is harder to find and recruiting from outside the area is expensive.
A strong program includes clear skill checklists, supervised task sign-offs, and regular check-ins so participants know exactly what “good performance” looks like.
Businesses can also partner with schools, community colleges, and local organizations to reach students, career changers, and returning workers.
When the program leads to a real job outcome, such as a guaranteed interview or offer after milestones, participation and completion rates improve.
Over time, this creates a predictable hiring pipeline instead of relying on random applicant flow.4 What practical changes help people show up consistently and stay longer, even when pay is competitive?
Many workers leave not only because of wages, but because of real-life barriers that make consistent attendance difficult.
Transportation problems, unstable child care, unpredictable schedules, and limited access to healthcare can all cause late arrivals, absences, and early quits.
Employers can reduce these issues by posting schedules earlier, limiting last-minute changes, and offering more predictable shifts when possible.
Some companies also work with local partners to support carpools, shuttle options, or transportation stipends, especially for early morning or late-night shifts.
Child care support can be as simple as partnering with local providers, offering referral help, or exploring emergency backup options during peak seasons.
Offering benefits navigation for healthcare and mental health resources can also improve attendance because untreated issues often become workplace issues.
When work becomes easier to manage in daily life, employees stay longer and the business gains stability.5 How does inclusive hiring help solve the workforce shortage, and what does it look like in real life?
Inclusive hiring helps because it unlocks workers that many employers overlook, especially in a tight labor market like Nebraska’s.
In real life, this often starts with removing unnecessary job requirements, such as degree rules for roles that can be learned through structured training.
It also means widening recruiting channels by working with community groups, schools, workforce programs, and local partners that connect employers to underused talent pools.
Making applications mobile-friendly and quick can also increase completion rates, because many candidates drop out when the process is slow or complicated.
Inside the workplace, retention improves when employees feel respected and supported through fair policies, safe reporting options, and trained supervisors.
Employers can also attract older workers by offering part-time roles, lighter-duty options, or phased schedules, while using their experience to mentor new hires.
When people can enter, belong, and advance based on performance, the company gains a stronger, more stable workforce.6 Can hiring international workers really help Nebraska’s workforce shortage, and what should employers know about the EB-3 option?
Hiring international workers can help, especially for long-term and ongoing shortages in essential roles, but it is not a quick fix.
The EB-3 pathway is commonly discussed because it can support employer-sponsored permanent hiring, including some roles that require less than two years of training or experience.
For employers, the key point is that the process is regulated and step-based, which means timelines and compliance matter.
Businesses typically must complete a labor certification stage to show the job is real, the wage meets requirements, and there are not enough available U.S. workers for the role in that location.
After that, the employer files an immigrant petition and the worker proceeds through the next stage depending on their situation and visa availability.
Employers considering this option should think of it as a staffing stabilization strategy rather than a short-term recruiting tactic.
When used correctly, it can reduce chronic vacancy pressure and provide a more consistent workforce over time.
