by Nick Dobbins
May 2014
Monthly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Employment showed strong growth in April before seasonal adjustment, adding 21,875 jobs or 1.2 percent. Increases were split between goods producers (up 5,389 or 2.3 percent) and service providers (16,486, 1.1 percent). The only supersector to lose jobs in April was the Others Services group which dropped 448 or 0.6 percent. Employment gains were spread through the remaining industry groups. Some of the largest numerical increases were in Mining, Logging, and Construction (4,947, 9.2 percent), Professional and Business Services (3,703, 1.4 percent), and Leisure and Hospitality (5,689, 3.5 percent). Employment is also up for the year, with 28,735 (1.6 percent) more jobs in April 2014 than 12 months ago.
Employment started recovering from winter in earnest in April, adding 1,390 (1.1 percent), following their small loss in March. Most industry groups showed employment that was either up or flat, with the three job shedders, Information, Financial Services, and Other Services, down just 25, 11, and 1, respectively. There were significant monthly increases in Mining, Logging, and Construction (up 559 or 7 percent), Leisure and Hospitality (447, 3.3 percent) and Professional and Business Services (129, 1.7 percent). Employment in Duluth-Superior is also up slightly for the year, although job gains and losses are spread throughout a variety of industry groups.
Employment was up 593 (0.6 percent) in April as the spring weather helped warm up the job market. While there was a sizeable decrease in Manufacturing employment (down 135, 1.4 percent), employment increased or was flat in the remainder of the supersectors. Mining, Logging, and Construction, as would be expected in spring, added 281 jobs (9.3 percent) making it the fastest grower of the month. Other notable increases showed up in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (200, 1.2 percent) and Leisure and Hospitality (164, 1.8 percent). Rochester’s employment is also up for the year, although by just 288 (0.3 percent) over April 2013.
Employment continued its recent growth trend, adding 1,383 jobs (1.3 percent) in April. Nearly every industry group showed an increase for the month, as the only major industry group to show any decrease was Information which had an estimated loss of one job, making employment essentially flat. Mining, Logging, and Construction and Leisure and Hospitality both saw notable jumps in April (263 or 6.1 percent and 109 or 1.2 percent, respectively). For the year, St. Cloud gained 2,906 jobs (2.9 percent) thanks to strong annual increases across a spectrum of industry groups.
Employment grew in April, adding 553 jobs (1 percent) for a total of 55,367. Private sector gains of 564 (4.2 percent) overcame a small decline in Government employment for the month. The increase was split between goods producers (up 289 or 3 percent) and service providers (264, 0.6 percent). Since April 2013, the MSA has seen an increase of 1,671 jobs (3.1 percent), with private sector gains once again overwhelming losses in Government employment (down 179, 1.9 percent).
Employment grew by 1,808 (1.4 percent) in April. Job gains were widely distributed among major industry groups, with some notable changes including an increase of 530 (3.4 percent) in Professional and Business Services and growth of 519 (6.7 percent) in Mining, Logging, and Construction. As was common across the state in April, Leisure and Hospitality also saw significant employment growth. For the year, employment in the MSA increased 4,780 (3.7 percent) with job growth in every major industry group.
Employment remained nearly flat in April, adding just 41 jobs (0.1 percent). This is the second straight month that employment in the MSA has been largely unchanged, in contrast to statewide numbers in Minnesota and North Dakota, as well as most metros in the area which generally had significant employment growth in April. The area also bucked the regional trend of a strong month in Leisure and Hospitality employment, with the industry group losing 137 jobs (2.2 percent) during a month when most other metros were adding jobs in the supersector. For the year, employment in the MSA has grown by 1,019 (1.8 percent).
