by Nick Dobbins
May 2023
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data.
Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Minnesota employers added 4,500 jobs (0.2%) over the month on a seasonally adjusted basis in April. Private sector employers added 4,400 jobs (0.2%), and public sector employers added 100 (0.0%).
On an annual basis the state added 43,725 jobs (1.5%), down from March's 2.2% annual growth. Goods producers added 1,934 jobs (0.4%) while service providers added 41,791 jobs (1.7%).
Employment in Mining and Logging was flat on a seasonally adjusted basis in April. It held at 6,500 jobs for the fifth consecutive month, dating back to December 2022.
Over the year Mining and Logging employers lost 108 jobs (1.7%). Annual employment growth in the supersector has now been either negative or flat every month for the past year, dating back to April of 2022.
Construction employment was up by 700 (0.5%) in April after being down 1,300 in March. The supersector has posted positive growth in three of the four months of 2023.
Over the year the supersector added 513 jobs (0.4%), which was down from the 1.9% annual growth posted in March. Heavy and Civil Engineering was up 1,407 (9.6%), while Construction of Buildings was down 446 (1.6%), and Specialty Trade Contractors shed 448 jobs (0.5%).
Employment in Manufacturing was off by 700 (0.2%) over the month in April. Both supersectors posted negative monthly growth, with Durable Goods down 200 (0.1%) and Non-Durable Goods down 500 (0.4%).
On an annual basis Manufacturing employers added 1,529 jobs (0.5%). The growth was driven by Durable Goods manufacturing was up 2,297 jobs or 1.1%. Their counterparts in Non-Durable Goods manufacturing lost 768 jobs (0.7%), despite the addition of 149 jobs (0.3%) in the only published component sector, Food Manufacturing.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was up 2,800 (0.5%) on a seasonally adjusted basis. Wholesale Trade was up 600 (0.5%), Retail Trade was up 1,300 (0.5%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities was up 900 (0.8%).
Over the year the supersector added 3,395 jobs (0.6%). Wholesale Trade lost 1,161 jobs (0.9%) on the year, its first negative annual growth since March of 2021. Retail Trade employment was up 2,208 (0.8%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities was up 2,348 (2.1%).
Employment in Information was up 200 (0.4%) over the month. It was the third consecutive month of seasonally adjusted growth for the supersector.
On an annual basis Information employers added 1,874 jobs or 4.2%. It was one of only two supersectors in which Minnesota growth outperformed the nation, which was up just 1.2%.
Financial Activities employment was off by 700 (0.4%) in April. Finance and Insurance lost 600 jobs (0.4%), and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing lost 100 (0.3%).
Over the year the supersector lost 1,175 jobs (0.6%), making it one of just three supersectors to lose jobs over the year. Finance and Insurance was off by 1,762 (1.1%), caused in large part by the loss of 2,500 jobs (4.1%) in component Credit Intermediation and Related Activities. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing was up 587 (1.7%) on the year.
Professional and Business Services employers lost 1,100 jobs (0.3%) over the month of April. The decline was driven by the loss of 2,900 jobs (2.2%) in Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services. Management of Companies added 500 jobs (0.6%), and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services added 1,300 (0.8%).
Over the year the supersector added 1,359 jobs (0.4%). Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services added 4,770 jobs (2.9%), but Management of Companies lost 75 jobs (0.1%), and Administrative and Support and Waste Management lost 3,336 jobs (2.5%), primarily from the shedding of 2,552 jobs (4.2%) from Employment Services.
Employment in Educational and Health Services was up 1,300 (0.2%) with both component sectors posting positive growth. Educational Services was up 400 (0.6%), and Health Care and Social Assistance added 900 (0.2%). Educational and Health Services has not lost jobs on a monthly basis since June of 2022.
On an annual basis the supersector added 13,116 jobs (2.4%). Educational Services lost 1,330 jobs (1.8%), but Health Care and Social Assistance employment was up 14,446 or 3%. Nursing and Residential Care Facilities employment was up 4% on the year.
Leisure and Hospitality employment was up 1,900 (0.7%) over the month in April. It posted positive growth in three consecutive months, adding a total of 3,800 seasonally adjusted jobs. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation added 1,500 jobs (2.9%) on the month, while Accommodation and Food Services added 400 (0.2%).
Over the year Leisure and Hospitality employers added 14,775 jobs (6%), the largest proportional growth of any supersector. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation added 7,286 jobs (17.7%), and Accommodation and Food Services added 7,489 jobs (3.7%).
Employment in Other Services was flat in April, holding at 106,900 jobs after losing 700 jobs (0.7%) in March.
Annual employment in the supersector was also mostly flat in Other Services, off by 3 jobs (0.0%). Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, and Professional Organizations added 1,002 jobs (1.7%), and Personal and Laundry Services added 42 (0.2%), but that growth was countered by the loss of 1,047 jobs (4.7%) in Repair and Maintenance.
Government employment was mostly flat in April, adding 100 jobs (0.0%) over the month. State employment was flat, and Federal employers lost 100 jobs (0.3%), while Local Government employers added 200 jobs (0.1%).
On an annual basis Government employers added 8,450 jobs (2%), with positive growth at all three levels of government. Federal employers added 533 jobs (1.7%), State employers added 584 (0.6%), and Local employers added 7,333 jobs (2.6%).
| Minnesota Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (In Thousands) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Apr-23 | Mar-23 | Feb-23 |
| Total Nonfarm | 2979.2 | 2974.7 | 2981.6 |
| Goods-Producing | 466.6 | 466.6 | 469.7 |
| Mining and Logging | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Construction | 134.3 | 133.6 | 134.9 |
| Manufacturing | 325.8 | 326.5 | 328.3 |
| Service-Providing | 2512.6 | 2508.1 | 2511.9 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 532.3 | 529.5 | 532.5 |
| Information | 46.7 | 46.5 | 46.3 |
| Financial Activities | 190.4 | 191.1 | 191.3 |
| Professional and Business Services | 388.5 | 389.6 | 391.2 |
| Educational and Health Services | 560.8 | 559.5 | 558.6 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 271.9 | 270 | 269.9 |
| Other Services | 106.9 | 106.9 | 107.6 |
| Government | 415.1 | 415 | 414.5 |
| Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics, 2023. | |||
