Minnesota Labor Force Participation Ticks Up; Unemployment Rate Stays the Same

St. Paul – Minnesota gained 4,500 jobs and added more than 3,600 people to the state’s labor force in April according to data released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Minnesota’s unemployment rate in April remained at 2.8%, and the state’s labor force participation rate ticked up one-tenth percentage point over-the-month to 68.1%. Nationally, the unemployment rate ticked down one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.4% in April and the U.S. labor force participation rate remained at 62.6%.

Minnesota gained 4,500 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis, up 0.2% from March to April. The private sector gained 4,400 jobs, up 0.2%. U.S. total nonfarm employment increased by 253,000 jobs, or up 0.2%, from March to April. The U.S. private sector gained 230,000 jobs, also up 0.2%.

Minnesota’s labor force grew by 3,634 people over the month, bringing the total to 3,087,713 people in April. The number of people employed in the state increased by 3,523 workers, and the number of unemployed increased by 111 people. The labor force is 40,890 people smaller than in February 2020, when the participation rate was at 69.9%.

“Labor force growth is great news during Minnesota’s ongoing tight labor market,” said DEED Temporary Commissioner Kevin McKinnon. “At DEED, we’re working to bring even more people off the sidelines and into our state’s labor force to help meet employer demand and fuel continued Minnesota job growth.”

Over the month, six supersectors in Minnesota gained jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis since last month, including:

• Construction gained 700 jobs, 0.5%

• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 2,800 jobs, 0.5%

• Educational and Health Services gained 1,300 jobs, 0.2%

• Leisure and Hospitality gained 1,900 jobs, 0.7%

• Information gained 200 jobs, 0.4%

• Government gained 100 jobs, though that was 0% change

Two supersectors did not change over the month:

• Mining and Logging

• Other Services

Three supersectors lost jobs over the month:

• Manufacturing lost 700 jobs, -0.2%

• Financial Activities lost 700 jobs, -0.4%

• Professional & Business Services lost 1,100 jobs, -0.3%

Over the year, Minnesota gained 43,475 payroll jobs, up 1.5%. The private sector gained 35,275 jobs, up 1.4% over the year.

Most supersectors posted positive growth over the year, especially:

• Leisure & Hospitality continued posting the largest growth of all supersectors, up 14,775 jobs, or 6%

• Education & Health Services continued to be second largest over-the-year growth, up 13,116 jobs, or 2.4%

• Information gained 1,874 jobs, or 4.2%,

• Government grew 8,450 jobs, or 2.0%.

Three supersectors experienced negative or no growth over the year:

• Mining & Logging lost 108 jobs, or -1.7%

• Financial Activities lost 1,175 jobs, or -0.6%

• Other Services had negligible change

U.S. employment grew 2.6% over the year and the U.S. private sector also grew 2.6%. All supersectors nationally showed gains over the year at a stronger rate than Minnesota except Information and Leisure & Hospitality.

Minnesota and U.S. Employment and Unemployment – April 2023

- Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Unemployment Rate April 2023 March 2023 April 2023 April 2022

Minnesota 2.8% 2.8% 2.9% 2.2%

U.S. 3.4% 3.5% 3.1% 3.3%

Non-Farm Jobs April 2023 March 2023 April ’22 - April’23 Level Change April ’22 – April ’23 % Change

Minnesota 2,979,200 2,974,700 43,725 1.5%

U.S. 155,673,000 155,420,000 3,888,000 2.6%

Minnesota and U.S. Over-the-Year (OTY) Employment Change, Not Seasonally Adjusted – April 2022-April 2023

- MN OTY Job Change MN OTY Growth Rate (%) US OTY Growth Rate (%)

Total 43,725 1.5 2.6

Private 35,275 1.4 2.6

Mining & Logging -108 -1.7 7.6

Construction 513 0.4 2.7

Manufacturing 1,529 0.5 1.7

Trade, Transport. & Utilities 3,395 0.6 1.0

Information 1,874 4.2 1.2

Financial Activities -1,175 -0.6 0.9

Prof. & Business Services 1,359 0.4 2.1

Ed. & Health Services 13,116 2.4 4.2

Leisure & Hospitality 14,775 6.0 5.6

Other Services -3 0.0 3.1

Government 8,450 2.0 2.2

Minnesota Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Over-the-Year (OTY) Employment Change, Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA): April 2022 - April 2023

Metropolitan Statistical Area OTY Employment Change (#, NSA) OTY Employment Change (%, NSA)

Minneapolis-St. Paul MN-WI MSA 26,254 1.4

Duluth-Superior MN-WI MSA 1,081 0.8

Rochester MSA 3,153 2.6

St. Cloud MSA 1,814 1.7

Mankato MSA 2,247 4

Over the Year Job Growth – March MSAs Released by Other States, Employment Change, Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA): March 2022 - March 2023

Note that April data for some Minnesota communities that border another state will be updated by the government agency in the neighboring state. DEED can only share publicly available information at the time of this release for these MSAs:

Metropolitan Statistical Area OTY Employment Change (#, NSA) OTY Employment Change (%, NSA)

Fargo-Moorhead ND-MN MSA (March) 4,200 2.9

Grand Forks-East Grand Forks ND-MN MSA (March) 1,400 2.7

La Crosse-Onalaska WI-MN (March) 1,700 2.2

Visit the DEED website to access DEED’s alternative measures of unemployment. You can also find monthly jobs numbers and unemployment data on DEED’s website. In addition, obtain related articles about job growth and labor market changes in the latest issue of Minnesota Employment Trends. Access resources to help Minnesotans prepare for and find employment now can be found at CareerForceMN.com/GoodJobsNow.

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, the JoinUsMn.com website, or follow us on Twitter.