New jobs highlight Minnesota’s otherwise steady April employment report

A slight uptick in the number of jobs highlights the most recent employment report from the state.

Data released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) shows the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 2.8% in April and the labor force participation rate jumped just 0.1%. The national unemployment rate dropped 0.1% last month to 3.4% while the national labor force participation rate remained steady at 62.6%.

However, despite those stats, DEED says Minnesota’s labor force grew by more than 3,600 people in the last month so the number of employed residents actually grew slightly.

“Labor force growth is great news during Minnesota’s ongoing tight labor market,” DEED Temporary Commissioner Kevin McKinnon said. “At DEED, we’re working to bring even more people off the sidelines and into our state’s labor force to help meet employer demand and fuel continued Minnesota job growth.”

The best news from DEED’s report is the state’s addition of 4,500 jobs last month, a 0.2% increase from March. Almost all of those were in the private sector.