Minnesota gained 3,900 jobs in April, DEED says | Finance & Commerce

Minnesota’s labor market grew by 3,900 jobs from March to April, the fourth consecutive month of employment growth, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Minnesota, which has now gained jobs in 10 of the last 12 months, saw its labor force increase by 3,710 workers, while the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.7% in April, DEED said in a press release. By comparison, the national unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.9%.

“The numbers released today reinforce that Minnesota’s economy remains strong,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a statement. “Continued job growth and labor force growth are excellent indicators for Minnesota. We’ll continue to focus on making Minnesota a great place to work, live and raise a family.” 

Financial activities led all employment sectors with 1,800 jobs added during the month. Manufacturing (up 1,300 jobs) and construction (up 1,100 jobs) rounded out the top three. Government had the biggest monthly drop with 1,600 jobs lost, according to DEED. In all, seven “supersectors” gained jobs and four saw losses during the month.

“We usually see about half of Minnesota’s supersectors lose jobs and the other half gains jobs each month,” DEED’s Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyễn said in a statement. “It’s a positive indicator that in April we saw more supersectors gain rather than lose jobs.”   

For the year through April, Minnesota has gained 44,507 payroll jobs, up 1.5%, including 23,889 private sector jobs, up 0.9%. Education and health services has seen the biggest growth (up 25,018 jobs), while professional and business services has experienced the biggest decline (down 10,196 jobs).

Among regions, job growth in the Rochester area “continued its strong streak, with over-the-year growth of 4,357 jobs, up 3.5%,” DEED said. “The Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA had the biggest job growth by numbers, up 21,168 jobs or 1.1% over the year.” 

For the year through April, average hourly earnings are up 3.5%, which slightly outpaces inflation. DEED notes that the Consumer Price Index, a common measure of inflation, was up 3.4% over the year in April.