Friends,
I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect time of the year to gather with our loved ones and take stock of all the blessings that have been bestowed on us, and we have many.
But, as we celebrate, let us remember and pray for those who are less fortunate and dedicate ourselves to working to ensure a bright and better future for all.
If you are traveling this year, please be careful. Minnesota’s winter arrived early this year and can rear up and bite us at any given notice, so watch the weather and roads closely.
Good jobs numbers
We got some great economic news last week. Minnesota employers added 9,500 jobs in October. When you combine those numbers with updated September figures, Minnesota has gained 49,679 jobs in 2014 – more than 28,300 jobs in just the past three months!
Our state’s unemployment rate – already one of the lowest in the nation – fell to a seasonally adjusted 3.9 percent. The last time unemployment was lower than 3.9 percent was June 2001. Our lowest rate was 2.5 percent in 1999.
The U.S. unemployment rate in October was 5.8 percent.
Hopefully, these new numbers will shed some light on the state of Minnesota’s economy and guide our decision-making in the near future. We simply can’t go back to recycled ideas that put corporate interests ahead of the middle class. We have to continue on the path Minnesota is on – a path to continued prosperity for all.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Dan