Minn. jobless rate drops a tick in November

Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked down to 4.6 percent in November.

The state's private sector added 2,400 jobs in November, but those gains were offset by losses in government jobs for a net monthly loss of 800 jobs, the state Department of Employment and Economic Development said Thursday.

"The private sector numbers this month are very strong, and government has continued to be a drag on the economy for quite a number of years now," said Steve Hine, Minnesota's chief labor market analyst.

Non-educational, local government jobs suffered the biggest decline, he added.

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The information sector added the most jobs last month, with a gain of 1,300. The once beleagured construction sector also added jobs. It's now one of the fastest growing sectors in terms of over the year job gains.

Manufacturing has been adding jobs over the past few months, including in November. But it's still down compared to the same month last year.

On the whole, the state's economy is showing many signs of strength, Hine said. The number of unemployed Minnesotans -- about 138,000 -- fell last month to pre-recession levels. The state's jobless rate remains much better than the 7 percent U.S. unemployment rate.

Hine, however, noted a potentially worrisome sign -- an employment decline in the sector that includes temp help jobs. Those jobs are often regarded as a bellwether for changes in the economy.