Unemployment rate ticks up to 3.8 percent, as MN loses 200 jobs in May
Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked upward by 0.1 percent for May, with the state losing 200 jobs during that month.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (known as DEED) released the most recent unemployment numbers Thursday morning. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate is now 3.8 percent – it was 3.7 percent in April, and adjusted to 3.8 percent the month before.
Nationally, the jobless rate was at 5.5 percent for May.
Three sectors lost more than 1,000 jobs in May, including professional and business services (minus 4,400), leisure and hospitality (minus 1,600) and manufacturing (minus 1,000).
Trade, transportation and utilities made some gains in May, adding 6,600 new jobs. Other industries that added jobs were financial activities (up 900), government (up 300), construction (up 200) and information (up 200).
Over the past year, nine of the state's 11 jobs sectors have seen positive growth.
More numbers
All five metropolitan areas in Minnesota have gained jobs over the past 12 months. The Twin Cities leads the way, up 1.8 percent; St. Cloud had the smallest growth, up 0.1 percent.
DEED makes alternative measures of unemployment available as well. Click here to see them.
While the unemployment rate for whites and Hispanics has fallen in the past year, the jobless rate for blacks has climbed significantly – from 10.3 percent 12 months ago, to 14.4 percent in May of 2015. Whites' unemployment rate went from 4.2 percent to 2.9 percent during that period; Hispanics, 8.5 percent to 4.5 percent.
