The unemployment rate in Koochiching County was at 7.8 percent in July, according to information released in late August by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
In June, the rate was 7.9 percent. For the month of May, the rate was 7.5 percent.
County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the not seasonally adjusted statewide and national rates, which were at 5.9 and 8.6 percent respectively in July.
Statewide rates
In July, Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent, after remaining steady at 5.6 percent over the previous three months. Minnesota’s labor force participation rate was 70.9 percent in July.
Despite the increase in unemployment, Minnesota employers added 6,800 jobs statewide that month, making July the second month in a row that the state gained jobs, according to figures from the DEED.
The agency said the state unemployment rate climbed 0.2 percent from June to a seasonally adjusted 5.8 percent, staying well below the U.S. rate of 8.3 percent.
Last month’s job growth combined with job gains in June – revised downward to 4,200 new jobs – means the state has added 11,000 jobs in the past two months. That compares with a net gain of 200 jobs from February to May.
“The state has added more than 30,000 private sector jobs in the past year,” said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips. “That growth along with increasing job vacancies and record high job postings online continue to point to sustained demand for labor in Minnesota.”
