Katie Clark Sieben
Minnesota employers added 6,600 jobs in November, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The state has gained 51,065 jobs in the past year, including more than 35,000 jobs in the past four months. Total jobs in the state are up 1.8 percent in the past year, compared with a U.S. growth rate of 2 percent during that period.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Minnesota fell to 3.7 percent in November, below the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. The state unemployment rate is at its lowest level since May 2001.
“Minnesota has seen a remarkable burst of hiring since July, adding more than 35,000 jobs during that period,” DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben said in a release. “The change in the unemployment rate from 4.5 percent in July to 3.7 percent in November is particularly notable given the labor force participation rate held steady during that period, on top of adding jobs to the economy.”
Local numbers
Locally in Koochiching County, there were 470 unemployed persons from a labor force of 6,287, for an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent. This compares to October, when there were 422 unemployed persons from a labor force of 6,364, for an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent.
In November 2013, there were 622 unemployed persons from a labor force of 6,434, for an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.
Leisure and hospitality led all sectors last month with 6,100 job gains. Other sectors that added jobs were financial activities, up 3,100 jobs, professional and business services, up 1,700 jobs, government, up 1,700 jobs, education and health services, up 1,300 jobs, manufacturing, up 600 jobs, and logging and mining, up 200 jobs.
The following sectors lost jobs in November: construction was down 3,500 jobs, trade, transportation and utilities was down 3,400 jobs, other services was down 1,000 jobs and information was down 200 jobs.
Over the past year, professional and business services has added the most jobs with 14,662. Other sectors adding jobs in the past 12 months were manufacturing, up 10,964 jobs, education and health services, up 9,620 jobs, leisure and hospitality, up 6,248 jobs, government, up 5,619 jobs, trade, transportation and utilities, up 2,440 jobs, construction, up 2,060 jobs, logging and mining, up 601 jobs, and information, up 37 jobs.
Two sectors lost jobs in the past year: financial activities lost 795 jobs and other services lost 391 jobs.
Katie Clark Sieben
