ST. PAUL – Minnesota employers added 11,300 jobs in July, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Those figures, combined with revised data that showed the state gained 2,400 more jobs than originally reported in June, brought employment gains in the state to 44,034 over the past year, an increase of 1.5 percent. Jobs nationally climbed 1.7 percent over the past year.
The Minnesota unemployment rate rose 0.1% in July to a seasonally adjusted 3.9%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9% in July.
“Last month’s job gains pushed seasonally adjusted employment in Minnesota above the 2.9 million mark for the first time in state history,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “The state has gained 21,000 jobs in the past two months alone, a strong indication that the economy is continuing to grow.”
Leisure and hospitality led all sectors in July with 3,400 new jobs. Other industries gaining jobs were trade, transportation and utilities (up 2,100), other services (up 1,800), education and health care (up 1,700), government (up 700), professional and business services (up 700), construction (up 600), information (up 400) and financial activities (up 100). Logging and mining held steady.
Manufacturing was the only industry that lost jobs, down 200.
Over the past year, the following sectors gained jobs: education and health services (up 20,486), leisure and hospitality (up 10,999), trade, transportation and utilities (up 6,549), construction (up 6,050), financial activities (up 1,836), professional and business services (up 1,014) and manufacturing (up 559).
Four industries lost jobs in the past 12 months: logging and mining (down 1,580), information (down 1,525), government (down 185) and other services (down 169).
In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, the following regions gained jobs in the past 12 months: Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 1.9%), Rochester MSA (up 2.9%), St. Cloud MSA (up 2.9%), Mankato MSA (up 1.7%) and Duluth-Superior MSA (up 0.1%).
DEED has added a section to its website that examines the unemployment rate by demographics (race, age and gender) and looks at alternative measures of unemployment.
DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit the DEED website or follow DEED on Twitter.