Minnesota's jobless rate holds steady at 3.7 percent
Minnesota's jobless rate held steady at 3.7 percent in January. State employers cut 5,000 jobs in January, including 3,800 in the government sector.
The latest employment report also revised December unemployment up from 3.5 percent.
Over the past year, Minnesota has gained 39,916 jobs, a growth rate of 1.4 percent. The U.S. growth rate during that period was 1.9 percent.
"Despite job losses in January, the state labor market remains on a growth track, with eight of the 11 major industrial sectors adding jobs over the past year," said Katie Clark Sieben, commissioner of employment and economic development.
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More than 16,000 people came off the sidelines to look for work in January. Growth in the workforce is generally considered bullish for the job market because it's a sign of optimism about the prospects of finding a job.
"The state's labor force participation rate of 70.5 percent is now at a three-year high," Clark Sieben said.
Education and health services led all industries in January with 3,000 additional jobs. Construction (1,900) and leisure and hospitality (900) also added payroll positions.
The sectors contracting, aside from government, were trade, transportation and utilities (-2,100), information (-1,800), professional and business services (-1,600), manufacturing (-900), other services (-300), financial activities (-200), and logging and mining (-100).
In addition, the Department of Employment and Economic Development announced revisions to employment counts from the previous two years based on updated data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Minnesota gained nearly 15,000 more jobs than originally reported over the year ending in December 2014. The state, however, gained about 12,000 fewer jobs than originally reported in the subsequent year.