Minnesota adds 14,400 jobs in August. Reverses losses from July

The state is watching the trade, transportation and utilities sector — which includes retail. It added 1,000 jobs in August, mostly retail, which was not the case earlier in the year. To date, Minnesota retailers’ employment is still down 0.2% for the year.

Minnesota wages since the beginning of the year have grown twice as fast as inflation.

The average private sector hourly-wage is $37.74 in Minnesota, an increase of 5.9% over the year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) a common measure of inflation, rose 2.5% over that time.

“Over the last several months, we have seen strong wage growth in Minnesota,” said Angelina Nguyen, DEED’s labor market information director. “Wage growth has consistently outpaced inflation, which is a good thing as we work to attract and retain talented workers for our labor force.”