Minnesota unemployment rate drops to 2.7%, lowest since 1999

Minnesota’s unemployment rate dropped again last month, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

DEED says the rate fell 0.2% in February to 2.7%, which is the lowest unemployment rate in the state since 1999.

The department noted that entire fall was due to people moving from unemployment to employment, with the state’s labor force rising 0.2% to 67.9%.

The U.S. unemployment rate also dropped 0.2% in January to 3.8%.

“We’re glad to see another significant jump in labor force participation during this tight labor market,” DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said in a statement. “We believe that the efforts of DEED and our workforce partners across Minnesota are bringing more people off the sidelines and into good jobs now. We remain laser-focused on helping businesses connect with workers, particularly in communities that are often overlooked.”