LINCOLN- According to a recent state labor report, Nebraska businesses are struggling heavily to hire new workers.

In a survey, 94% of Omaha businesses from northeast and southeast areas of the city reported that they had hiring difficulties and "labor availabilities."

84% of these businesses also stated that the problem wasn't hiring or lack of good applicants, it was a lack of applicants themselves.

Based on the survey, Falls City, Fairbury, and Nebraska City had the most trouble hiring employees, with 92% of all businesses reporting difficulty hiring new staff.

Bryan Slone, head of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, stated that, since Nebraska has around 52,000 vacant positions, the lack of labor is the "number one, two, three, four and five" issue facing the business community in the state.

Around 50% of all businesses in Nebraska used tele-work last year and the year before to protect their workers from Covid-19, but many in the survey reported that it's difficult to bring workers back.

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