Local job numbers up 1.8% in January

Tim Krohn, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Mar. 10—MANKATO — Local job numbers were up 1.8% in January, but trailed the other metropolitan areas in the state.

Manufacturing locally posted a strong year over year growth of 4.6%, while the service sector posted a 1.2% gain and government added 3.6% to its job numbers, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The Mankato-North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is all of Blue Earth and Nicollet counties, added 967 jobs compared to January of 2021.

Duluth and Rochester job numbers were up 3.5% and St. Cloud was up 3.6%. The Twin Cities and the state as a whole were up 2.7%.

The average hourly wage locally jumped to $31.32 in January, up from $24.22 a year earlier.

Minnesota gained 10,200 jobs in the last month on a seasonally adjusted basis. This follows the addition of 2,500 jobs in December 2021 (revised). The jobs growth from December 2021 to January 2022 is the largest single-month growth since July 2021. The private sector gained 9,100 jobs, up 0.4%, continuing a four-month-long job gains streak.

The state's unemployment rate ticked down in January to 2.9% from 3% in December 2021. The decline was entirely due to people moving from unemployment to employment. The labor force participation rate rose from 67.3% in December 2021 (revised) to 67.6% January 2022, up three-tenths of a percentage point.

Nationally, the unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.0% and the labor force participation rate also rose three-tenths of a percentage point to 62.2% (revised).

"Today's job numbers show great momentum at a critical time in our economy," DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said in a statement. "And a jump in labor force participation shows that efforts to connect job seekers with great jobs are succeeding."

Over the month in Minnesota, two supersectors lost jobs, and nine gained jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in January 2022.

Losses were in Construction down 1,400, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, down 500.

Gains were in Mining and Logging up 100, Manufacturing up 1,600, Information up 600, Financial Activities up 1,200, Professional & Business Services up 3,600, Education and Health Services up 900, Leisure & Hospitality up 1,800, Other Services up 1,200 and Government up 1,100.

Over the year, Minnesota gained 74,111 payroll jobs, up 2.7%. The private sector gained 69,309 jobs, up 2.9% over the year. These gains put total nonfarm employment 122,181 jobs short of January 2020 employment and 96,760 jobs short in the private sector.

Four supersectors posted negative annual growth, Construction down 75 jobs (0.1%), Trade, Transportation & Utilities down 3,185 jobs (0.6%), Financial Activities down 1,781 (0.9%) and Education & Health Services down 2,194 (0.4%).

Two supersectors experienced huge over-the-year gains. Leisure & Hospitality gained 48,544 jobs (26.7%) and Other Services gained 8,915 jobs (8.9%).

Four supersectors in Minnesota show strength over the year compared to the U.S.: Mining & Logging, Manufacturing, Leisure & Hospitality, and Other Services.