Minnesota added 4,400 jobs in June, a slower-than-average pace over the past year but a partial recovery from a drop-off in May. One sector — leisure and hospitality — added more than all other employers combined.
The state's unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent, the Department of Employment and Economic Development said Thursday.
The agency also reported that Minnesota passed another milepost during June: the state's job count passed 3 million on an unadjusted basis for the first time. The seasonally adjusted number of jobs, which is more often used in discussing the job scene, was still about 50,000 short of that threshold.
The monthly jobs data is notoriously volatile. In April, the jobs agency reported that Minnesota employers added 15,100 jobs, the most in a month since September 2013. But that was followed by a loss of 7,200 jobs in May.
In June, leisure and hospitality companies, such as hotels, resorts and amusement parks, added 4,500 jobs. There were also job gains in professional and business services, manufacturing, government and construction. But those were offset by job cuts in education and health services, other services, financial activities, trade, transportation and utilities, information, and logging and mining.
For the 12 months ending June 30, Minnesota added 77,748 jobs, the biggest 12-month gain since the year ending May 1998. That amounts to a 2.6 percent jump, well over the national rate of 1.5 percent over the same duration.
During much of the recovery from the 2008-2009 recession, the state added jobs at a slower rate than the nation. But in recent months, the state's performance has been more varied. For the 12 months ending April 30, Minnesota showed a 1.2 percent gain in jobs, below the national rate of 1.4 percent for that period. But for the 12 months ending May 31, Minnesota saw a 1.7 percent gain that was higher than the national rate 1.5 percent.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area saw a 3.3 percent gain in jobs during the year ended June 30. Duluth experienced a 2.8 percent gain in that period, St. Cloud 2.6 percent, Mankato 2 percent and Rochester 1.9 percent.
Evan Ramstad • 612-673-4241
