Minnesota employers added 9,100 jobs in December, bringing the state seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate down to 3.5 percent, according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The national unemployment rate is 5 percent.
DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben said: “The state labor market finished the year with a strong surge, adding 18,300 jobs in the final two months. Nearly all signs point to continued growth in Minnesota in 2016.”
The highest gaining sector in December was government, adding 4,300 jobs, the report said.
Other gaining sectors:
- Leisure and hospitality (up 2,800)
- Education and health services (up 2,100)
- Financial activities (up 2,000)
- Manufacturing (up 1,600)
- Construction (up 1,300)
- Other services (up 500)
- Information (up 200)
It wasn’t all rosy. Sectors losing jobs were:
- Professional and business services (down 3,200)
- Trade, transportation and utilities (down 2,000)
- Logging and mining (down 500)
And the state reports this regional breakdown, by Metropolitan Statisticacl Areas, of job growth and loss over the past 12 months:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 1.8 percent)
- Duluth-Superior MSA (up 0.5 percent)
- Mankato MSA (up 0.1 percent)
- Rochester MSA (down 0.3 percent)
- St. Cloud MSA (down 0.1 percent)
