Minnesota’s unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent as the state’s economy continued to reopen, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). This is compared to the May unemployment rate of 9.9 percent. The national unemployment rate also slightly declined from 13.3 percent in May to 11.1 percent in June.
Minnesota added 84,700 payroll jobs in the month of June. However, year-over-year, the state was down 273,776 jobs since June 2019.
“Many Minnesotans who were laid off are beginning to return to work – which is a good sign. Yet our unemployment rate remains more than double what it was before the pandemic,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “To continue to see positive trends in our economy, we need to continue to be safe as we reopen our economy to avoid the volatility we’re seeing in other states that are dialing back due to troubling COVID-19 outbreaks.”
Construction in Minnesota recorded an employment decline with a 6.0 percent employment loss, or 8,414 jobs, since June 2019. All other industries saw sharp declines in their workforce year-over-year. Leisure & Hospitality saw the largest decline again with a 34.4 percent drop since last year. Education and Health Services lost 35,269 jobs since June 2019.
In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, employment growth rates were all down: Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (down 9.2%), Rochester MSA (down 6.7%), St. Cloud MSA (down 4.2%), Duluth-Superior MSA (down 8.2%), and Mankato MSA (down 5.1%).
