By Nick Dobbins
September 2023
The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA lost 2,020 jobs (0.1%) over the month in August. The decline was driven by public sector employment, as private sector employers added 1,157 jobs (0.1%). Government employers lost 3,177 jobs (1.4%). Those losses were almost entirely in education, as school employment was down entering summer. Local Government Education was down 2,346 (3.3%). State Government Education was down 909 jobs (2.7%). Trade, Transportation, and Utilities lost 3,424 jobs (1%) with Retail Trade off by 2,432 (1.3%). The largest growth of any supersector came in Mining, Logging, and Construction, which was up 2% (1,949 jobs). Leisure and Hospitality employment was up 1,814 (0.9%). Educational and Health Services added 1,283 jobs (0.4%), although that growth came entirely in Health Care and Social Assistance, which was up 2,518 (4.6%).
Over the year the metro area added 35,260 jobs (1.8%). Seven of 10 published supersectors added jobs, with the declines coming in Financial Activities (off 3,514 or 2.3%), Professional and Business Services (off 3,830 or 1.2%), and Information (off 675 or 2.2%). Once again, the largest real and proportional growth came in Leisure and Hospitality, which added 15,172 jobs or 8.1%. Other notable areas of growth included Educational and Health Services (up 14,584 or 4.3% thanks to growth of 14,007 or 4.6% in Health Care and Social Assistance), and Government, which was up 6,369 jobs (2.8%), with growth at all three levels of Government. Other Services employment was up 1,600 (2.2%) over the year, with Personal and Laundry Services up 4.2% or 867 jobs.
Employment growth in the Duluth-Superior MSA was flat in August, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, as employers lost one job (0.0%). Four of 10 published supersectors added jobs. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 262 jobs (1.1%), led by the growth of 251 (1.6%) in Retail Trade. The steepest decline in real and proportional terms came in Leisure and Hospitality, which shed 168 jobs or 1.1%. Government employers shed 113 jobs (0.5%) primarily from the loss of 174 jobs (2.6%) at the State Government level.
Over the year Duluth area employers added 3,634 jobs or 2.8%. Educational and Health Services added 2,192 jobs (7.4%), and Government added 1,314 jobs (5.9%) with growth at all three levels. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was up 1,102 (4.6%), with Retail Trade adding 952 jobs (6.5%). Five supersectors posted negative growth on the year, with the largest real and proportional decline coming in Mining, Logging, and Construction, which lost 703 jobs or 6.3%.
Employers in the Rochester MSA added 196 jobs (0.2%) over the month in August. Educational and Health Services added 44 jobs (0.8%), and Mining, Logging, and Construction added 59 jobs (1%), the largest proportional growth of any supersector. Government employers lost 230 jobs (1.7%), the largest real and proportional decline of any supersector, as Local Government employers shed 224 jobs (2.1). Manufacturing employment was off by 124 (1.3%).
Over the year Rochester employment was up by 3,883 or 3.1%. Five supersectors added jobs and five lost jobs, but the largest movement came in growing industry groups. Educational and Health Services was up 2,610 or 4.9%. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 834 jobs (4.9%) with growth of 805 (6.7%) in Retail Trade. Other Services posted the largest proportional growth, up 5.9% or 218 jobs. The largest real and proportional job loss came in Professional and Business Services, where employment was off by 132 or 2%.
The St. Cloud MSA lost 92 jobs (0.1%) in August. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities drove the job loss, off by 255 (1.2%) with a decline of 246 (1.9%) in Retail Trade. Six of 10 published supersectors lost jobs. The largest real and proportional job growth came in Educational and Health Services, which was up 194 or 0.9%. No other supersector added or lost more than 41 jobs or 0.6%.
Over the year St. Cloud employers added 1,049 jobs (1%). Educational and Health Services employment was up 1,480 or 7.3%, which was the largest movement of any supersector in either direction in both real and proportional terms. Professional and Business Services lost 560 jobs (7.1%). Manufacturing employment was up 421 or 2.7%, and Other Services added 145 jobs or 3.8%.
The Mankato-North Mankato MSA lost 63 jobs (0.1%) in August. Goods producers lost 141 jobs (1.3%) while service providers added 78 jobs (0.2%). Private sector employers added 221 jobs (0.5%), but that growth was overshadowed by the loss of 284 jobs (2.9%) among public sector employers.
Over the year employment in the Mankato-North Mankato MSA was up 5.8% (3,184 jobs). This was the highest proportional annual growth of any MSA in Minnesota. Every published industry group added jobs, with service providers up 2,785 (6.3%) and goods producers up 399 (3.8%). Private sector employment was up 2,091 (4.5%), and public sector employment was up 1,093 (13.2%).
The Fargo-Moorhead MSA added 1,538 jobs or 1% over the month of August. This was the highest proportional monthly growth of any MSA in the state. Government employers drove the growth, adding 1,741 jobs (11.1%), with most of that growth coming at the state level (up 1,311 jobs or 35.2%). Six of 10 published supersectors posted negative growth, with Mining, Logging, and Construction losing 181 jobs or 1.8%, the largest decline of any supersector.
Over the year employment in the Fargo-Moorhead MSA was up by 1,266 or 0.9%. This was the lowest proportional annual growth of any MSA in the state. Educational and Health Services added 1,367 jobs (4.9%). Government employment was down 365 (2.1%), and Mining, Logging, and Construction was down 324 (3.2%). The largest proportional decline came in Information, off by 8.9% (256 jobs).
Over the month the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks MSA added 503 jobs (0.9%). Government employers added 736 jobs or 6.3%, the largest real and proportional movement of any supersector, by a large margin. It was the only supersector to post positive monthly growth. No supersector lost 100 jobs or more. The largest real job loss came in Leisure and Hospitality, which was off by 61 (1.1%).
The Grand Forks-East Grand Forks MSA added 1,892 jobs (3.7%) on the year. Government employers drove the growth, adding 1,006 jobs (8.8%) with positive growth at all three levels. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 531 jobs or 5.2%. The largest real or proportional job loss came in Mining, Logging, and Construction, which was off by 171 jobs (5%).
