November 19th Press release from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

Minnesota Employers Add 2,200 Jobs in October
~ Unemployment rate edges up to 7.6 percent ~

ST. PAUL –Minnesota employers added 2,200 jobs in October, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

The state’s unemployment rate climbed 0.2 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate in October was 10.2 percent.

“A gain in jobs combined with an uptick in the unemployment rate are consistent with what economists often expect at the turning point of a recession,” said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. “October’s job growth in six of the industry sectors is a positive sign, and the widening gap between the state’s and nation’s unemployment rates is also noteworthy.”

Professional and business services gained the most jobs during the month, adding 5,500 positions, followed by education and health services (up 3,700), leisure and hospitality (up 1,700), government (up 1,600), information (up 300) and financial activities (up 200). Logging and mining was flat for the month.

More than half of the gains in professional and business services were in the component that comprises temporary help, up 3,200. August and September also showed solid growth in this category, up 2,100 and 1,300, respectively.

“Employment growth in temporary help is a leading indicator of an economic recovery, and we are hoping that this three-month trend continues,” McElroy said.

Job losses occurred in trade, transportation and utilities (down 4,900), manufacturing (down 4,500), construction (down 1,200) and other services (down 300).

Over the past year, education and health services added 11,700 jobs.

Job losses occurred over the past 12 months in manufacturing (down 41,300), professional and business services (down 25,400), trade, transportation and utilities (down 22,700), construction (down 13,700), leisure and hospitality (down 8,500), other services (down 2,800), information (down 2,500), government (down 2,300), financial activities (down 1,700), and logging and mining (down 1,300).

In the state’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, over-the-year job losses occurred in the Duluth-Superior MSA (down 4.1 percent), Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (down 3.6 percent), Rochester MSA (down 1.3 percent) and St. Cloud MSA (down 3.4 percent).

Minnesota Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.3 Percent
~ Employers Shed 7,900 Jobs in September ~

ST. PAUL – Minnesota’s unemployment rate fell 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted 7.3 percent in September, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The U.S. unemployment rate climbed 0.1 percent to 9.8 percent in September.

About 15,000 more Minnesotans were employed in September, but there were nearly 19,000 fewer who were unemployed. That means that 4,000 people left the labor force, reducing the state’s labor force participation rate to 72.3 percent last month. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of working-age people in Minnesota who are employed, or unemployed and looking for a job.

Minnesota employers shed 7,900 jobs in September. Minnesota’s over-the-year job loss is 4.5 percent, compared with the nation’s loss of 4.2 percent.

"These mixed results are to be expected as Minnesota and the country begin to recover from the effects of the worldwide recession," said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. “Minnesota's unemployment rate, now 2.5 percent lower than the national rate, is headed in the right direction. It is also encouraging that five of the state’s 11 industry sectors gained employment during the month, including manufacturing, which added 1,800 jobs.”

The strongest sector was trade, transportation and utilities, which added 2,600 jobs. Other gains were seen in manufacturing (up 1,800), information (up 500), mining and logging (up 400) and financial activities (up 300).

Job losses were largest in government (down 5,600), due primarily to fewer hires at public schools at the beginning of the school year. Employment also declined in leisure and hospitality (down 4,900), education and health care (down 1,300), construction (down 700), professional and business services (down 600), and other services (down 400).

Over the past year, education and health services added 11,700 jobs.

Over-the-year job losses occurred in manufacturing (down 36,900), professional and business services (down 32,000), trade, transportation and utilities (down 23,300), construction (down 15,100), government (down 11,600), leisure and hospitality (down 8,600), other services (down 3,000), financial activities (down 1,700), information (down 2,700), and logging and mining (down 1,300).

For additional information on the September employment figures, visit www.PositivelyMinnesota.com .

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Minnesota employers added 10,300 jobs over the month in July and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.

The number of Unemployment Insurance initial claims in July dropped slightly from June to 44,221 on a seasonally adjusted basis. There were 31,400 job vacancies during second quarter 2009, a 39.4 percent decrease from one year ago. With 7.7 unemployed people for every job vacancy, second quarter 2009 was the most difficult on record for job seekers.

Source: MN DEED