by Nick Dobbins
November 2016
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data. Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.*
Minnesota lost 12,500 jobs (0.4 percent) in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, while September's estimate was revised upward from a gain of 1,900 to a gain of 2,200. October's seasonally adjusted loss was spread across industry groups. Goods Producing supersectors lost 2,000 jobs (0.5 percent) while Service Providing supersectors lost 10,500 (0.4 percent). Public Sector employment was largely static, adding 200 jobs (0.0 percent) on the month. Over the year Minnesota added 31,375 jobs (1.1 percent). Much of that gain came among Service Providing supersectors, which grew by 29,263 jobs (1.2 percent), while Goods Producers added 2,112 (0.5 percent). Public Sector employers added 2,954 jobs (0.7 percent).
Employment in the Mining and Logging supersector was down in October, off by 200 jobs (3.5 percent). Over the year, employment in the supersector remains down, off by 989 jobs (14.5 percent) from October of 2015. However, since some of the most dramatic job losses in the supersector first appeared in December of 2015, we might expect those annual declines to shrink within the next few months.
Employment in the Construction supersector declined slightly in October, down by 500 jobs (0.4 percent). This was the third straight month of seasonally adjusted declines for the industry group. Annually employers in Construction industries added 4,436 jobs (3.5 percent). Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction was up 2,552 (12.6 percent), Specialty Trade Contractors added 1,180 jobs (1.5 percent), and Construction of Buildings added 704 (2.6 percent).
Minnesota Manufacturers shed 1,300 jobs (0.4 percent) in October on a seasonally adjusted basis. The decline came entirely from Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing, which lost 1,500 jobs (1.3 percent). That was the largest single-month decline in the industry group since April of 2009. The other piece of the supersector, Durable Goods Manufacturing, added 200 jobs (0.1 percent). Annually the Manufacturing supersector lost 1,335 jobs (0.4 percent). Reversing the monthly estimates, the loss came primarily from Durable Goods manufacturers, who lost 1,276 jobs (0.6 percent). Among component sectors the largest job losses came in Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing, which was off by 783 (1.8 percent). Non-Durable Goods Manufacturers lost 59 jobs (0.1 percent) on the year.
Employment in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities was off by 2,500 jobs (0.5 percent) in October. Retail Trade was the biggest loser, dropping 2,400 jobs (0.8 percent). Wholesale Trade lost 200 jobs (0.2 percent) while Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 100 (0.1 percent). Annually the supersector added 5,532 jobs (1.1 percent) since October of 2015. Wholesale Trade lost 2,809 jobs (2.1 percent) but the loss was more than made up for in the other two component sectors. Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 3,837 jobs (3.8 percent) on the strength of 1,587 new jobs in Truck Transportation, while Retail Trade was up 4,504 jobs (1.5 percent).
The Information supersector lost 300 jobs (0.6 percent) in October, giving back all of the gains it had shown in September and returning to August levels. Annually the supersector lost 837 jobs (1.6 percent). Publishing Industries (except Internet) lost 748 jobs (3.7 percent), and Telecommunications lost 302 jobs (2.4 percent).
The Financial Activities supersector added 1,100 jobs (0.6 percent) in October. Finance and Insurance added 1,000 jobs (0.7 percent), and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing added 100 (0.2 percent). Over the year the supersector added 3,832 jobs (2.1 percent). Finance and Insurance added 2,731 jobs (1.9 percent) while Real Estate and Rental and Leasing added 1,101 (2.8 percent), with most of that gain coming from Real Estate (up 968 or 3 percent).
Professional and Business Services employment declined in October as the supersector lost 2,400 jobs (0.7 percent), giving back part of the 9,800 jobs that were added in September. The October decline was largely in Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, which lost 1,900 jobs (1.4 percent). Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services also lost jobs, off by 600 (0.4 percent). Annually the supersector's employment was up by 6,644 (1.8 percent). Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services added 2,470 jobs on the year (1.7 percent), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services added 2,835 (2.1 percent), and Management of Companies and Enterprises added 1,339 (1.7 percent).
Educational and Health Services lost 2,200 jobs (0.4 percent) in October. The majority of that decline came from Health Care and Social Assistance, which shed 2,100 jobs (0.5 percent). The other component sector, Educational Services, lost 100 jobs (0.2 percent). Annually the supersector added 11,623 jobs (2.2 percent). Health Care and Social Assistance was the main driver of that growth, up by 14,169 (3.2 percent). Ambulatory Health Care Services contributed 11,779 of those new jobs on the year. Educational Services lost 2,546 jobs (3.5 percent) over the same time period, tempering the overall annual job growth in the supersector.
Leisure and Hospitality lost 3,900 jobs (1.5 percent) on a seasonally adjusted basis in October. Accommodation and Food Services lost 1,000 jobs (0.5 percent) while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation lost 2,900 (7.3 percent). Annually the supersector lost 426 jobs (0.2 percent). Accommodation lost 892 jobs (3.4 percent), and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation lost 2,750 (6.9 percent), while Accommodation and Food Services added 2,324.
Employment in the Other Services supersector was down in October by 500 jobs (0.4 percent). Over the year Other Services lost 59 jobs (0.1 percent). This dip back into the red for the supersector came after two months of over-the-year job gains.
Government employment was largely flat in October, adding just 200 jobs (0.0 percent). Federal Government employers lost 200 jobs (0.6 percent) while State employers added 400 (0.4 percent). There was no change in Local Government employment. Over the year Government employers added 2,954 jobs (0.7 percent). Much of that gain came from State employers, who added 2,575 jobs (2.5 percent), 2,268 of that coming from State Government Educational Services. The Federal Government added 443 jobs (1.4 percent) on the year, while Local Government employers lost 64 jobs (0.0 percent).
| Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment (in thousands) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Oct-16 | Sep-16 | Aug-16 |
| Total Agricultural | 2,893.1 | 2,905.6 | 2,903.4 |
| Goods-Producing | 439.0 | 441.0 | 442.1 |
| Mining and Logging | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.6 |
| Construction | 117.7 | 118.2 | 119.9 |
| Manufacturing | 315.8 | 317.1 | 316.6 |
| Service-Providing | 2,454.1 | 2,464.6 | 2,461.3 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 529.7 | 532.2 | 532.9 |
| Information | 51.1 | 51.4 | 51.1 |
| Financial Activities | 184.4 | 183.3 | 183.7 |
| Professional and Business Services | 364.6 | 367.0 | 357.2 |
| Educational and Health Services | 526.8 | 529.0 | 532.6 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 257.8 | 261.7 | 265.3 |
| Other Services | 115.4 | 115.9 | 116.0 |
| Government | 424.3 | 424.1 | 422.5 |
| Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics, 2016. | |||
*Over-the-year data are not seasonally adjusted because of small changes in seasonal adjustment factors from year to year. Also, there is no seasonality in over-the-year changes.
