ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota unemployment rate climbed 0.1% in August to a seasonally adjusted 3.8%, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.4% in August.
The state lost 6,600 jobs in August, and the number of jobs gained in July was revised downward by 5,100 positions. Over the past year, Minnesota has gained 49,695 jobs, an increase of 1.7%. U.S. jobs are up 1.5% in the past 12 months.
“The state’s labor market remains fundamentally strong, outpacing the country in over-the-year job growth for the fourth consecutive month in August,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “Nine of our 11 major industrial sectors have added jobs in the past 12 months.”
The following industries gained jobs in August: trade, transportation and utilities (up 3,200), manufacturing (up 800), professional and business services (up 800), government (up 800), information (up 500) and financial activities (up 200). Logging and mining held steady.
Sectors that lost jobs were leisure and hospitality (down 6,400), education and health services (down 5,300), other services (down 800) and construction (down 400).
In the past year, education and health services has added the most jobs (up 17,280). Other sectors gaining jobs are construction (up 7,247), leisure and hospitality (up 5,628), trade, transportation and utilities (up 5,538), professional and business services (up 4,263), government (up 4,040), manufacturing (up 3,084), other services (up 2,852), and logging and mining (up 720).
Information (down 744) and financial activities (down 213) lost jobs in the past year.
In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, all regions gained jobs in the past 12 months: Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 2.3%), Duluth-Superior MSA (up 2.2%), Rochester MSA (up 1.2%), St. Cloud MSA (up 1.6%) and Mankato MSA (up 2%).
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 its services, visit the DEED website https://mn.gov/deed/ or follow DEED on Twitter.