MINNESOTA, USA — Minnesota's unemployment rate dropped to 1.8% in June, the lowest rate ever recorded.
According to a report released by DEED (Department of Employment and Economic Development) on Thursday, the new low beat May's 2% rate. The lowest pre-pandemic unemployment rate in Minnesota was 2.5% in early 1999.
The report shows that although unemployment stats dropped, job creation remains flat, only adding 100 new positions in the state while the private sector lost 400 during the month of June.
Employment recovery hasn't been the same for all Minnesotans either. During the measured month, 7.4% of Black Minnesotans and 3.1% of Hispanic were unemployed.
Despite disparities reflected in the recent unemployment numbers, Minnesota is ranking high in national average data with regards to both job creation and unemployment.
The current national unemployment rate was reported at 3.6% through June, the fourth straight month it has stayed the same.
Minnesota has seen a 1.6% growth in jobs since January 2022 while the national average isn't far behind at 1.5%.
“Another month has brought another record-low unemployment rate, as more Minnesotans are finding opportunity in our economy,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove in a press release. “The big challenge is a historically tight labor market - we’re still down just over 72,000 people in our labor force since before the pandemic.
In June, Grove announced what he called the “Summer of Jobs” campaign, an effort to offer job-shadowing options in career paths like manufacturing, healthcare, technology and more for Minnesotans.
The campaign was announced after it was revealed that more than 214,000 jobs were open in Minnesota at the beginning of June, setting a record high.
Last week, Grove took the campaign to Duluth where he met with leaders and staff at Essentia Health to address the critical need for health care workers in Minnesota.
Grove also job shadowed an Essentia Sterile Processing Technician, which is a critical and high-demand role across the health care industry, before hosting a roundtable focused on ways employers can connect with untapped talent within Minnesota's aging workforce.
The campaign’s next stop will be in Owatonna with no date set or additional information given.
DEED did not immediately respond to information about a possible upcoming Summer of Jobs event in the Twin Cities metro.