MN gains 12,100 jobs, but unemployment up
Minnesota employers added 12,100 jobs in January, according to figures released recently by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The department also released revised figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the state gained 16,700 more jobs over the previous 21 months than originally reported.
January’s job gains combined with the revised federal figures means the state has recovered nearly 90 percent of the 160,000 jobs that were lost during the Great Recession, with 50,000 jobs added over the past year.
The state unemployment rate climbed to a seasonally adjusted 5.6 percent in January from a revised 5.4 percent in December. The U.S. unemployment rate in January was 7.9 percent.
“The Minnesota labor market is staging a robust comeback, with all 11 industrial sectors showing year-over-year growth rates for the first time since 2000,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. “At the current pace of job growth, we soon will have recovered all the jobs that were lost in the recession.”
Minnesota’s job growth is outpacing national growth in seven of the 11 industry sectors.
Trade, transportation and utilities led all sectors in January, adding 4,100 jobs. Other gains occurred in construction (up 2,600), leisure and hospitality (up 1,700), government (up 900), other services (up 900), education and health care (up 700), manufacturing (up 600), information (up 400), professional and business services (up 200), and logging and mining (up 100).
Financial activities was the only sector that lost jobs in January, down 100.
Over the past year, trade, transportation and utilities led all sectors with 13,300 new jobs. Other job gains occurred in education and health services (up 11,700), government (up 5,200), professional and business services (up 5,100), manufacturing (up 3,400), leisure and hospitality (up 2,800), construction (up 2,700), information (up 2,200), financial activities (up 2,100), other services (up 1,100), and logging and mining (up 200).
