DEED: Minnesota sees job growth for the 7th straight month

The labor force in Minnesota grew for the seventh consecutive month this September.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) shows the job market gained 8,000 jobs in September and 1,500 workers were added to the labor force.

The job growth outnumbered that of the U.S. as a whole with 0.3% more people employed as opposed to 0.2% nationally, according to a DEED report.

Unemployment and the labor force participation rates stayed steady at 3.1% and 68.5%, respectively. Officials from DEED said both of those figures outpaced the U.S. average as a whole.

“Minnesota continues to add jobs and draw more people into the labor force – that’s great news,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “DEED is focused on helping more people join or rejoin the labor force on in-demand career paths. New DEED programs, like our Drive for 5 Initiative launched last week, will do just that.”

The Education and Health Services supersector gained 6,000 jobs while Leisure and Hospitality gained nearly 2,500 jobs. The Professional and Business Services supersector lost 3,600 jobs which the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities and Government supersector’s made up for by gaining a respective 1,900 and 1,800 jobs, according to the DEED report.

“Over-the-year job growth remains positive and steady for Minnesota, especially in the Construction and Trade, Transportation & Utilities supersectors,” said DEED Labor Market Information Office Director Angelina Nguyễn. “This is a good sign of long-term investment in and development of our state’s infrastructure.”

For more employment information from DEED, CLICK HERE.