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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tim Faust (DFL)

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Employers added over 7,000 new jobs in September, unemployment rate lowest in 8 years

Friday, October 17, 2014

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota employers added 7,200 jobs in September, according to seasonally adjusted figures released Thursday, October 16 by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

The September gains, combined with August figures that were revised upward by 2,700 jobs, bring calendar year gains to a seasonally adjusted 23,000 jobs statewide. Since hitting the recessionary low point five years ago in September, Minnesota has added 212,800 jobs.

The Minnesota unemployment rate fell 0.2 percent in September to 4.1 percent, the state’s lowest jobless rate in eight years. The U.S. unemployment rate in September was 5.9 percent. Another measure, requests for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, continues to drop, with monthly claims for benefits reaching 14-year lows.

“I think the most recent jobs numbers show that we’re heading in the right direction,” said State Representative Tim Faust (DFL – Hinckley). “I’m especially encouraged by the growth in our leisure and hospitality sector, which is a major part of our local economy. If you take a look at the big picture, we’re moving the chains and marching down the field. If Minnesotans keep working together, we can move the ball across the goal line and get a big victory for every person who is working hard to live the American Dream. My focus is helping to create even more jobs with even better pay in our region.”

Professional and business services led all sectors in September with 4,100 job gains. Other sectors that added jobs were leisure and hospitality (up 3,900), other services (up 1,300), education and health services (up 1,100), manufacturing (up 1,100), trade, transportation and utilities (up 300) and construction (up 200). Information held steady for the month. Sectors with job losses were government (down 4,200), financial activities (down 400) and mining and logging (down 200).