Minnesota Keeps Beating the Nation On Job Growth, New Data Shows

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota employers keep outpacing the rest of the country, adding 1,500 jobs in August and posting annual job growth five times the national rate, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The state added 45,041 jobs over the year, a 1.5 percent increase, compared with national job growth of just 0.3 percent.

Minnesota's private sector also grew 1.5 percent over the year, triple the 0.5 percent national pace.

Eight of the state's 11 major industry sectors added jobs over the year, with education and health services leading the way at 18,007 new jobs, up 3 percent. Manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, and government all posted solid annual gains as well.

"Minnesota employers continued to show remarkable resilience in August, delivering a small monthly gain and an annual growth rate well in excess of the nation as a whole, despite the many headwinds we've faced this year," DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said.

Manufacturing led the state's monthly gains, adding 2,200 jobs, followed by government, up 1,200. Professional and business services and leisure and hospitality each added 300 jobs, while mining and logging and construction each picked up 100.

Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked up one tenth of a point to 4.4 percent in August, still well within the range regulators consider a healthy labor market, while the labor force size dipped slightly. DEED officials said they're watching those trends alongside wage growth in the months ahead.

Average hourly wages for Minnesota private sector workers rose 28 cents over the month to $39.67. The numbers add to a string of reports showing Minnesota's economy holding steady even as national job growth has cooled.