St. Paul, MN (KROC AM News) -  Minnesota’s economy gained 15,600 jobs in April, the state’s highest monthly gain since September 2013.

The  Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) says the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in April at 3.8 percent. It has remained below 4 percent since July 2014.

Over the past year, Minnesota has gained 31,500 non-farm jobs for a growth rate of 1.1 percent.  Rochester led all major cities with a year-over-year growth rate of 2.3 percent.  Since last April, the city has gained 2,600 jobs.


“The surge in hiring last month points to continued growth in the state economy,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “Despite a tighter labor market, employers are finding workers to fill their payrolls.”

Professional and business services led all sectors in April with 6,700 new jobs. Other sectors gaining jobs were trade, transportation and utilities (up 2,800), manufacturing (up 1,900), leisure and hospitality (up 1,500), education and health services (up 1,300), construction (up 1,200), other services (up 500), financial activities (up 300), and logging and mining (up 100).

Information (down 400) and government (down 300) lost jobs in April.

Over the past year, education and health services gained 17,801 jobs. Other Minnesota industries gaining jobs from a year ago were trade, transportation and utilities (up 4,820), leisure and hospitality (up 2,907), construction (up 2,701), professional and business services (up 2,686), financial activities (up 2,638), manufacturing (up 1,881) and other services (up 163).

The following industries lost jobs in the past year: logging and mining (down 1,618), information (down 1,481) and government (down 971).

In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, the following regions gained jobs in the past 12 months: Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 1.5 percent), Rochester MSA (up 2.3 percent), St. Cloud MSA (up 1.5 percent) and Mankato MSA (up 1 percent). The Duluth-Superior MSA was down 1.7 percent.

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