New job numbers for December throw cold water on what had been a run of gains in Minnesota, as employers cut 5,200 jobs in the month and November's gains were revised downward by 4,000.
"We'll file this one under the category of all good things must come to an end," said Steve Hine, the labor market economist for the state.
Still, the state unemployment rate fell a tenth of a point to 3.6 percent, according to figures released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The U.S. unemployment rate in December was 5.6 percent.
Minnesota job growth for the calendar year was the weakest since 2010, and in 2014, Minnesota lagged behind the nation. U.S. job growth for 2014 was 2.2 percent, nearly double the 1.2 percent rate of growth in Minnesota.
Asked how the unemployment rate can fall when the number of jobs in the state declined, Hine noted the unemployment rate and the total number of jobs are from different surveys, each with its own margin of error.
"They are counts of different things done by different surveys with different methodologies," Hine said.
Average wages for all private sector workers fell 3 cents in December from $25.77 per hour to $25.74 per hour, and have fallen 20 cents since December 2013.
Most industries shed jobs in December, especially government, manufacturing, real estate and health care. Trade, transportation and utilities led all industries by adding 4,100 new jobs.
