by Nick Dobbins
July 2015
Monthly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Employment in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA was up again in June with an additional 18,277 jobs (0.9 percent) coming to the metro. While employment increases are common in June, this was the largest proportional increase in metro area June employment since 2006. The usual warm-weather industries are largely responsible for the increase, with Mining, Logging, and Construction adding 4,128 jobs (5.5 percent) and Leisure and Hospitality adding 6,744 (3.6 percent). Professional and Business Services also grew considerably, adding 6,217 jobs (2 percent). Government (down 1,195 or 0.5 percent) and Educational and Health Services (down 1,551 or 0.5 percent) were among the biggest job shedders. On the year, the metro added 37,888 jobs (2 percent). Professional and Business Services maintained the largest over-the-year growth of any supersector, up 13,618 (4.5 percent) from 2014. Leisure and Hospitality also had significant growth, up 8,195 jobs or 4.4 percent. Information and Other Services remain the only two supersectors to lose jobs on the year, down 397 jobs (1 percent) and 1,185 jobs (1.5 percent) respectively.
The Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Statistical Area added 1,631 jobs (1.2 percent) in June. As was common across the state, Mining, Logging, and Construction (up 970 jobs or 10.8 percent) and Leisure and Hospitality (up 978 jobs or 6.8 percent) led the growth in both total and proportional terms. Only three supersectors jettisoned jobs in June: Government (down 695 or 2.6 percent), Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (down 160, 0.6 percent), and Information (down 19 jobs, 1.4 percent). Over the year the metro added 2,008 jobs (1.5 percent). Educational and Health Services added over half that number, up 1,059 jobs (3.5 percent). Other notable gains came in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (up 517, 2 percent), Other Services (up 281, 4.6 percent), and Leisure and Hospitality (up 469, 3.2 percent). Four supersectors lost jobs on the year: Mining, Logging, and Construction (down 165 or 1.6 percent), Information (down 23, 1.6 percent), Financial Activities (down 284, 4.9 percent), and Manufacturing (down 26 jobs, 0.4 percent).
The Rochester MSA added 1,656 jobs (1.4 percent) in June. The supersector to add the most jobs in absolute terms was Government, which was up 506 or 4 percent. Rochester was one of only two MSAs in the state to add government jobs in June. The only supersector in Rochester to show more relative growth was Mining, Logging, and Construction, which added 211 jobs (5 percent). The over-the-year change paints a different picture for Rochester, as the MSA was actually down 134 jobs (0.1 percent) from June 2014. It was one of only two MSAs to show over-the-year job losses and represents the first time in 12 months that employment in Rochester was down on an annual basis. The two supersectors most responsible for the job loss were Mining, Logging, and Construction (down 269 or 5.7 percent) and Professional and Business Services (down 349, 5.7 percent), both of which had monthly job growth of better than 1 percent.
Employment was down in St. Cloud, off 865 jobs (0.8 percent) from May estimates. It was the only MSA in the state that lost employment in June. Losses were spread across a number of supersectors, but the biggest monthly declines came in Government (down 727 or 4.7 percent) and Educational and Health Services (down 502, 2.3 percent). Owing in part to those losses, employment was also off on an annual basis, as the MSA shed 165 jobs (0.2 percent) from June 2014. Losses were spread across a variety of industries, with the biggest annual decline coming in the Professional and Business Services supersector (down 739, 8.5 percent). This marked the first time since July of 2010 that St. Cloud lost jobs on an annual basis. One bright spot in the MSA was Educational and Health Services, which added 1,164 jobs (5.8 percent) over the previous 12 months.
Employment in the Mankato-North Mankato MSA was up in June, adding 252 jobs (0.5 percent) over May estimates. Government employers accounted for the entire increase, as they added 435 jobs (4.8 percent) while the Private Sector shrank by 183 jobs (0.4 percent). Over the year Mankato added 555 jobs (1 percent), with growth in Private (up 388, 0.8 percent) and Government (up 167, 1.8 percent) employment.
The Fargo-Moorhead MSA lost 85 jobs (0.1 percent) in June. The decline came largely from a steep drop in Government employment, off 1,019 jobs (5.4 percent) for the month. All other employers combined to add 934 jobs (0.8 percent). Employment in the area remained up for the year, however, supporting 2,486 jobs (1.8 percent) over June of 2014. Of supersectors to add jobs on the year, the most growth came in Leisure and Hospitality, which added 1,414 jobs or 10.2 percent.
Employment in the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks MSA was down slightly in June, off by 79 jobs (0.1 percent) as gains of 459 (13.9 percent) in Mining, Logging, and Construction weren't enough to overcome smaller losses in a variety of supersectors. Over the year, employment remained up, adding 1,220 jobs (2.2 percent) from June 2014. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities had the most growth, up 1,056 jobs (8.6 percent) thanks to the addition of 889 jobs (10.7 percent) to the Retail Trade sector.
