Minnesota Unemployment Ticks Up To 3.9 Percent

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked up one tenth of one percentage point to 3.9 percent in July, compared with a national jobless rate of 4.9 percent.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development said Thursday that the number of employed Minnesotans fell by 24,383. Minnesota's labor force participation rate continued its downward trend with a decline of six-tenths of a percentage point to 69.9 percent, compared with 62.8 percent nationally.

But Minnesota also gained 11,300 jobs in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, led by 3,400 positions in the leisure-and-hospitality sector. Manufacturing lost 200 jobs over the month.

Compared with July of 2015, Minnesota has added 44,034 jobs over past the year, up 1.5 percent. Meanwhile, U.S. employment grew by 1.7 percent over the last 12 months.

Unemployment