This edition of Minnesota Economic Trends is the annual state-of-the-state issue, featuring a look at the state economy and where it's headed. While the recovery has been uneven, Minnesota is making progress in several key areas, including steady job growth and improving construction and housing markets. That pattern is expected to continue through at least the end of the year.
Other stories in this issue focus on the six major planning regions of the state, including an examination of what happened to metro workers who lost their jobs when the Ford assembly plant closed in St. Paul. Our writers looked at the impact of high commodity prices on farmland values in southwestern Minnesota, analyzed how the $5 billion Mayo project will affect job growth in southeastern Minnesota, reviewed how central Minnesota has fared since the recession, examined the resurgence of manufacturing in northwestern Minnesota, and looked at the leisure and hospitality sector in northeastern Minnesota. The second round of the agency's Hiring Difficulties Survey is also covered.
Download the full PDF of this issue or select the links below to view individual stories.
Minnesota’s recovery from the recession has been slow but steady, with that trend expected to continue through the remainder of the year.
After a difficult recession, jobs are coming back in central Minnesota, especially in the retail trade and the accommodation and food services sectors.
A DEED analysis examines what happened to hundreds of workers who lost their jobs when the Ford assembly plant closed in St. Paul’s Highland neighborhood.
Leisure and hospitality is an important source of employment in northeastern Minnesota, accounting for one in seven jobs in the region.
The manufacturing sector in northwestern Minnesota has made impressive gains since the end of the Great Recession.
The Mayo Clinic has a major effect on the economy of southeastern Minnesota, with a proposed $5 billion expansion of the world-renowned medical center likely to stimulate further growth.
Rental rates for land have risen steadily in southern Minnesota’s farm country in recent years, driven by high prices for corn, soybeans and other crops.
DEED’s Hiring Difficulties Study looks at select occupations to determine why employers may or may not be having difficulty filling open positions. The first round of the study last fall looked at six occupations.
