ST. PAUL, MN – Today, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that Minnesota employers added 12,200 jobs during the month of August.
The agency said Minnesota has now recovered all the jobs that were lost in the recession, eclipsing the peak reached in February 2008 by 5,100 jobs. Over the past year, Minnesota has added 63,100 jobs, a 2.3 percent growth rate that exceeds the national rate of 1.7 percent.
Minnesota’s unemployment rate dropped to a seasonally adjusted 5.1 percent, the lowest level since April 2008 and well below the national rate of 7.3 percent.
Rep. Will Morgan (DFL—Burnsville) said the job gains are a clear sign that the state’s economy is on a path to growth and shared prosperity.
“When more than 12,000 people are working again and able to provide for themselves and their families, it shows that Minnesota’s economy is getting stronger,” said Rep. Morgan. “That’s something that Democrats, Republicans, and independents can all be proud of.”
Rep. Morgan added that while the positive jobs numbers are encouraging, more must be done to put Minnesotans back to work.
“We can’t be satisfied with where we’re at,” said Rep. Morgan. “The upcoming legislative session will be a bonding session, which is an opportunity to support dozens of shovel-ready, job-creating projects like repairs to our roads, bridges, and schools. I’m looking forward to working with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to make sure our economy is strong right now and into the future.”
In addition to bonding projects to repair and improve Minnesota’s roads and bridges, Rep. Morgan says the upcoming legislative session is also an opportunity to cut red tape for small businesses and undo burdensome laws and regulations, in what some people are calling the “Unsession.”
“I encourage small business owners and leaders in the business community to contact me and let me know how I can help improve and streamline our government to make Minnesota’s business climate even better,” said Rep. Morgan.
The following industrial sectors gained jobs last month: trade, transportation and utilities (up 6,000), education and health care (up 5,500), other services (up 2,300), government (up 1,900), construction (up 1,100), leisure and hospitality (up 700), and financial activities (up 100). Logging and mining held steady.
Manufacturing lost 3,400 jobs, followed by professional and business services (down 1,100) and information (down 900).
Trade, transportation and utilities led all sectors over the past year, adding 18,300 jobs. Other over-the-year gains occurred in education and health services (up 13,100), professional and business services (up 10,200), leisure and hospitality (up 9,400), government (up 9,000), other services (up 2,800), construction (up 2,700), financial activities (up 1,900), information (up 400), and logging and mining (up 400).
The only sector to lose jobs over the past year was manufacturing (down 5,100).
In the state Metropolitan Statistical Areas, job growth occurred in the past 12 months in the Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 3.2 percent), St. Cloud MSA (up 2.2 percent), Mankato MSA (up 1.5 percent) and the Rochester MSA (up 0.1 percent). The Duluth-Superior MSA fell 0.1 percent.
|
|
Seasonally adjusted
|
Not seasonally adjusted
|
|
Unemployment Rate
|
August
2013
|
July
2013
|
August
2013
|
August
2012
|
|
Minnesota
|
5.1
|
5.2
|
4.8
|
5.6
|
|
U.S.
|
7.3
|
7.4
|
7.3
|
8.2
|
|
Employment
|
August
2013
|
July
2013
|
Aug. '12 -
Aug. '13
Level Change
|
Aug. '12 -
Aug. '13
% Change
|
|
Minnesota
|
2,786,000
|
2,773,800
|
63,100
|
2.3
|
|
U.S.
|
136,133,000
|
135,964,000
|
2,208,000
|
1.7
|
|
Over The Year Employment Growth By Industry Sector (NSA)
|
|
|
OTY Job Change
|
OTY
Growth Rate (%)
|
U.S. OTY
Growth Rate (%)
|
|
Total Non-Farm Employment
|
63,100
|
2.3
|
1.7
|
|
Logging and Mining
|
400
|
5.0
|
3.0
|
|
Construction
|
2,700
|
2.5
|
2.8
|
|
Manufacturing
|
-5,100
|
-1.6
|
0.1
|
|
Trade, Trans. and Utilities
|
18,300
|
3.6
|
2.0
|
|
Information
|
400
|
0.8
|
-0.3
|
|
Financial Activities
|
1,900
|
1.1
|
1.4
|
|
Prof. and Bus. Services
|
10,200
|
3.0
|
3.4
|
|
Ed. and Health Services
|
13,100
|
2.8
|
1.9
|
|
Leisure and Hospitality
|
9,400
|
3.6
|
3.0
|
|
Other Services
|
2,800
|
2.4
|
0.8
|
|
Government
|
9,000
|
2.4
|
-0.4
|
|
Metropolitan Statistical Area
|
OTY Employment Change
(#, NSA)
|
OTY Employment Change
(%, NSA)
|
|
Minneapolis-St. Paul
MN-WI MSA
|
56,900
|
3.2
|
|
Duluth-Superior
MN-WI MSA
|
-200
|
-0.1
|
|
Rochester MSA
|
100
|
0.1
|
|
St. Cloud MSA
|
2,300
|
2.2
|
|
Mankato MSA
|
800
|
1.5
|
Rep. Morgan encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, or other feedback. He can be reached by phone at (651) 296-5387, by email at rep.will.morgan@house.mn, or by postal mail at 401 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.