Minnesota Gains 8,900 Jobs in December; Statewide unemployment rate at 3.1 percent, lowest level in more than 17 years

Black unemployment rate hits all-time low

Jan 19, 20180

ST. PAUL – Minnesota employers added 8,900 jobs in December, with 8,700 of them coming from the private sector, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

The state gained 44,200 jobs during the calendar year, a growth rate of 1.5 percent. The U.S. rate of job growth last year also was 1.5 percent.

Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December was 3.1 percent, down slightly from the revised rate of 3.2 percent in November and the lowest level since July 2000.

Additionally, the 12-month average unemployment rate for Minnesota’s black population fell to 7.5 percent, its lowest rate on record since DEED began tracking that data in late 2001. DEED recently added a section to its website that examines the unemployment rate by demographics (race, age and gender) and looks at alternative measures of unemployment.

“Minnesota’s economy had a strong year, with nine of 11 major industrial sectors adding jobs in 2017 and unemployment at a 17-year low,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “As we enter 2018, we continue to make progress on ending Minnesota’s economic disparities, and all economic indicators point to continued growth in the state’s labor market. Still, we have more work to do to connect all Minnesotans, specifically people of color, indigenous communities and people with disabilities, to employment and training opportunities to ensure that they succeed in today’s economy.”

Construction led all sectors last month with 5,700 new jobs. Other industries adding jobs were education and health services (up 2,500), trade, transportation and utilities (up 1,800), leisure and hospitality (up 1,800), government (up 200), logging and mining (up 100) and information (up 100).

The following sectors lost jobs: professional and business services (down 1,400), other services (down 1,100), manufacturing (down 600) and financial activities (down 200).

Education and health services led all sectors last year with 12,626 new jobs, followed by construction (up 9,394), trade, transportation and utilities (up 7,027), professional and business services (up 4,424), manufacturing (up 3,889), other services (up 3,452), government (up 2,120), leisure and hospitality (up 2,095) and logging and mining (up 677).

Financial activities (down 808) and information (down 696) were the only two state industries that lost jobs in 2017.

In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, all regions gained jobs in the past 12 months: Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 2.4 percent), Duluth-Superior MSA (up 2.1 percent), Rochester MSA (up 0.1 percent), St. Cloud MSA (up 1.2 percent) and Mankato MSA (up 1.7 percent).

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 or follow DEED on Twitter.

Seasonally adjusted Not seasonally adjusted

Unemployment Rate December 2017 November 2017 December 2017 December 2016

Minnesota 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1

U.S. 4.1 4.1 3.9 4.5

Employment December 2017 November 2017 Dec. ‘16- Dec. ‘17 Level Change Dec. ‘16- Dec. ‘17 % Change

Minnesota 2,958,700 2,949,800 44,200 1.5

U.S. 147,380,000 147,232,000 2,188,000 1.5

Over The Year Employment Growth By Industry Sector (NSA)

OTY Job Change OTY Growth Rate (%) U.S. OTY Growth Rate (%)

Total Non-Farm Employment 44,200 1.5 1.5

Logging and Mining 677 10.8 9.1

Construction 9,394 8.6 3.8