By Nick Dobbins
June 2021
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data.
Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
| Industry | May-21 | Apr-21 | Mar-21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Nonfarm | 2829.7 | 2817.4 | 2804 |
| Goods-Producing | 444.5 | 442.5 | 440.9 |
| Mining and Logging | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.2 |
| Construction | 128 | 126.8 | 125.5 |
| Manufacturing | 310.2 | 309.4 | 309.2 |
| Service-Providing | 2385.2 | 2374.9 | 2363.1 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 509.6 | 511.9 | 508.7 |
| Information | 39.9 | 40.1 | 40.2 |
| Financial Activities | 192.5 | 192.3 | 193.3 |
| Professional and Business Services | 368.3 | 364.8 | 360.5 |
| Educational and Health Services | 539.3 | 535.9 | 539.3 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 225.4 | 219.4 | 214.4 |
| Other Services | 104.1 | 101.9 | 100.9 |
| Government | 406.1 | 408.6 | 405.8 |
| Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics, 2021. | |||
Employment in Minnesota was up 0.4% (12,300 jobs) over the month in May. It was the fifth consecutive month of seasonally adjusted growth for employers in the state. Goods Producing employers added 0.5% (2,000 jobs), while Service Providers added 0.4% (10,300 jobs).
Over the year employers in Minnesota added 229,480 jobs or 8.8%. Private Sector employers added 211,352 jobs (9.5%), and Public Sector employers added 18,128 (4.6%).
Mining and Logging employment was flat in May, holding at 6,300 jobs. The level has been very consistent in recent months, not moving above 6,300 or below 6,200 since July of 2020.
Over the year the supersector added 872 jobs or 15.6%, after bucking the overriding trend and posting negative growth in April. COVID-19-related job losses came later in Mining and Logging than they did elsewhere, as the supersector posted larger declines in May, June, and July of 2020 than in April, when most supersectors had their steepest declines.
Employment in Construction was up by 1,200 (0.9%) in May. The supersector posted seasonally adjusted growth in each of the last three months, adding 11,000 jobs over that period.
On an annual basis Construction employers added 3,194 jobs or 2.5%. The growth was spread across all published component sectors, with Construction of Buildings up 2.9% (809 jobs) and Specialty Trade Contractors adding 2,001 jobs or 2.5%.
Employment in Manufacturing was up by 800 (0.3%) in May. Durable Goods Manufacturing added 600 jobs (0.3%), and Non-durable Goods Manufacturing added 200 (0.2%).
Over the year the supersector added 8,938 jobs or 3%. The lion's share of that growth came in Non-durable Goods Manufacturing, where 6,357 jobs (6.1%) were added.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employers shed 2,300 jobs (0.4%) in May. It was one of only three supersectors to lose jobs on the month. Retail Trade was down 2,200 (0.8%), and Wholesale Trade was down 800 (0.6%), while Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 700 jobs (0.7%).
The supersector added 35,619 jobs (7.5%) over the year, the second-largest real job growth in the state, trailing only Leisure and Hospitality. Retail Trade, which performed relatively well throughout the pandemic, drove the growth in the supersector by adding 32,749 jobs or 13.2%. Wholesale Trade added 2,046 jobs (1.7%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 824 (0.8%).
Information employers lost 200 jobs or 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis in May. The industry has posted negative growth in eight of the past10 months.
Information also lost jobs on an annual basis, off by 4.5% or 1,896 jobs. It was the only supersector to post negative annual growth, as it continues in a years-long decline.
Employment in Financial Activities was up by 200 (0.1%) in May. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing employment was up 300 (0.9%), while Finance and Insurance was down 100 (0.1).
Over the year the supersector added just 189 jobs (0.1%). Gains in Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (up 2.6% or 854 jobs) were mostly offset by losses in Finance and Insurance, down 0.4% or 665 jobs.
Professional and Business Services employment was up by 3,500 jobs, or 1% in May. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services added 2,500 jobs (1.6%), and Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services added 1,700 (1.4%).
Over the year the supersector added 23,229 jobs or 6.7%. Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services drove the growth, adding 16,815 jobs (15.2%), primarily in its component Employment Services, which added 10,641 jobs or 25.7%.
Educational and Health Services employers added 3,400 jobs (0.6%) over the month in May. Educational Services was up 2% (1,400 jobs), and Health Care and Social Assistance was up 0.4% (2,000 jobs).
On the year the supersector added 30,691 jobs or 6%. Educational Services employment was up 16% over May of 2020 (10,269 jobs), while Health Care and Social Assistance employment was up 20,422 (4.6%).
Leisure and Hospitality employers added 6,000 jobs or 2.7% in May. It was the largest proportional growth of any supersector in the state, as it continued working to build back up after its major job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation added 2,100 jobs (5.5%), and Accommodation and Food Services added 3,900 (2.2%).
Over the year the Leisure and Hospitality employers added 85,784 jobs or 58.3%, the largest real and proportional growth of any supersector in the state. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation more than doubled its overall employment on the year, going from 21,590 jobs in May of 2020 to 43,200 jobs, an annual change of 100.1%. Accommodation and Food Services grew by a comparatively ordinary 51.1%, adding 64,174 jobs. Both numbers would be unbelievable if not for the similarly massive losses suffered by these sectors a year ago.
Employment in Other Services was up by 2,200 or 2.2%, in May, it's third consecutive month of seasonally adjusted growth.
Over the year Other Services employment was up by 31% (24,732 jobs), the second-largest proportional growth in the state. Personal and Laundry Services more than doubled its employment over the year, adding 14,334 jobs or 118.1%. Repair and Maintenance added 2,797 jobs (14.3%), and Religious, Grantmaking, and Civic Organizations added 7,601 (15.8%).
Government employers lost 2,500 jobs or 0.6% in May, entirely from the loss of 2,600 jobs (0.9%) in Local Government. State employers added 100 jobs (0.1%), and Federal Government employment was flat.
Over the year Government added 18,128 jobs (4.6%). Local Government drove the growth, adding 20,373 jobs (7.8%), thanks primarily to non-education employment, which was up by 15,176 or 11.9%. Federal employers added 343 jobs (1.1%) while State Government employment was off by 2,588 (2.6%) with all of those loses coming in State Government Education (down 2,827 or 4.7%). State Government employment did not decline as much as other supersectors at the onset of the pandemic and maintained steady annual losses as we passed the 12-month mark.
