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Minnesota Gains 3,400 Jobs in June
~ State unemployment rate drops to 5.3 percent ~

ST. PAUL – Minnesota gained jobs for the second consecutive month in June, with employers adding 3,400 positions on top of the 2,500 jobs that were created in May, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The state has added 1,900 jobs through the first half of the year, compared with a U.S. loss of 438,000 jobs during that period.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent, while the U.S. rate held steady at 5.5 percent in June.

“While some areas of the state and some industries are lagging, Minnesota's overall economy continues to hold its own compared with the national picture,”;said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy.“The state has added jobs in three of the last four months, with manufacturing among the bright spots in June, thanks to steady job growth in computers and electronics manufacturing.”

Manufacturing added 1,300 jobs during June. In addition, preliminary U.S. Department of Commerce data indicate that the state’s manufactured exports are up nearly 10 percent this year through May, suggesting that international sales growth may be driving some growth in manufacturing.

Other sectors gaining jobs this month included Government, and Education and Health Services, which each gained 1,400 jobs. Growth was also seen in Financial Activities (up 900), Other Services (up 600) and Construction (up 600).

Job losses were seen in Trade, Transportation and Utilities (down 1,500), Professional and Business Services (down 800), Information (down 200), Leisure and Hospitality (down 200), and Natural Resources and Mining (down 100).

Over the past year, the state has added 7,600 jobs, for a growth rate of 0.3 percent, compared with a U.S. growth rate of -0.1 percent during that same period.

Minnesota industries that have gained jobs since June 2007 are Education and Health Services (up 10,200), Government (up 7,300), Financial Activities (up 2,400), Professional and Business Services (up 2,200), and Leisure and Hospitality (up 2,000).

Over-the-year job losses were posted by Construction (down 8,000), Manufacturing (down 4,600), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (down 2,400), Information (down 600), Other Services (down 900), and Natural Resources and Mining (down 20).

Employment in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area has grown 0.3 percent in the past year with the addition of 4,800 jobs. In other regions over the past year, Duluth-Superior grew 0.6 percent with 800 additional jobs, Rochester grew 0.8 percent with 900 jobs, St. Cloud grew 1.0 percent with 1,000 jobs, Fargo-Moorhead grew 0.9 percent with 1,100 jobs, and Grand Forks grew 1.9 percent with 1,000 jobs. These figures are not seasonally adjusted.

For additional information on the May employment information, please visit www.positivelyminnesota.com.

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