Minnesota Added 15,000 Jobs In April

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Employment officials announced Thursday that Minnesota employers added 15,600 jobs in April – the most for a month since September of 2013.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says job growth in the state is up 1.1 percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, the state's unemployment rate has held steady at 3.8 percent. The national unemployment rate is 5 percent.

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

Most of the new April jobs came from the professional and business sector. Losses were seen in information and government.

In March, the state lost jobs. New figures put the loses at 3,200 jobs.