Seasonal construction boosts Minnesota monthly job growth

Minnesota companies have erased first-quarter job losses, adding 3,600 positions in April, the state said.

All five metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in Minnesota, including the Twin Cities and Duluth/Superior, saw job growth for the month.

"Many industries in Minnesota have seasonal employment — construction being one of the most prominent," said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove in a news release. "Despite our state's tight labor market, the addition of 3,600 jobs this month is a sign that Minnesota employers are eager to ramp up for a busy spring and summer."

With weather improving in the month, the construction industry added 11,511 jobs since last April, the largest annual gain among 11 major industry groups, at 10.5%. The education and health-services industry saw the most job losses in Minnesota since April 2018, down 2,651 jobs or 0.5%.

Overall Minnesota had 2,961,800 jobs in April compared with 2,958,200 at the end of March. The growth rate month over month was about the same as the national gain, but year-over-year growth in Minnesota of 0.5% lagged the U.S. rate of 1.8%.

The new jobs were well distributed among Minnesota's five MSAs, with the year-over-year change the highest in St. Cloud at 2.1%, followed by Rochester at 1.6%. The slowest was in the Twin Cities at 0.3%.

However, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Minnesota inched upward in April to 3.3%, from 3.2% in March. Those seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were better than U.S. rates of 3.6% and 3.8%, respectively.