DEED publishes two employment estimates each month based on two separate surveys: The household survey (Current Population Survey) and the payroll survey (Current Employment Statistics or CES survey). The household survey asks households about their employment status; the payroll survey asks Minnesota employers how many workers they have on their payrolls. The numbers produce slightly different employment counts.

Over the last four decades, changes in the employment mix (self-employment, people holding multiple jobs and agricultural jobs shrinking as a percent of employment) have narrowed the gap in the employment counts.

Knowing why the two series differ and how the gap between them has been shifting will help you understand the ups and downs of Minnesota’s employment.

Read Measuring Employment in Minnesota in Minnesota Economic Trends.