Important reading for numbers-watchers: Each month the Labor Market Information Office updates a section of its webpage that examines the unemployment rate by demographics – race, age and gender – and looks at alternative measures of unemployment.

As of July 2017, Minnesota’s over-the-year changes in unemployment rate by race or ethnicity includes:

• Black or African American, 8.7 percent, compared to 8.7 percent in July 2016.
• White, 3.1 percent, compared to2.9 percent in July 2016.
• Hispanic or Latino, 5.3 percent, compared to 5.0 percent in July, 2016.

As of July 2017, Minnesota’s over-the-year changes in unemployment rate by age and gender includes:

• Teens (age 16-19), 12.1 percent, compared to7.8 percent in July 2016.
• Men, 4.4 percent, compared to4.5 percent in July 2016.
• Women, 3.2 percent, compared to2.7 percent in July 2016.

Generally low and stable unemployment and underemployment – Minnesota maintained a steady 3.7 percent overall unemployment rate in July – meaning that Minnesota’s economy is running very close to full employment. Slight increases in overall unemployment since the summer of 2016 are largely concentrated among women and teens. You can see different trends when the numbers are broken out by racial groups; there is still room for improvement in the employment situation in the state.

July’s Jump for Jobs

Minnesota experienced a 7,700 job jump in July and a 3.7 percent overall unemployment rate. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent..

• Education and health services led all sectors with a record gain of 8,400 jobs. Private education contributed 2,400 of the job gain; health care and social assistance provided the other 6,000 jobs. July’s gain pushed social assistance employment above 100,000 for the first time ever. Ambulatory care and nursing & residential care both also hit all-time highs.
• Leisure & hospitality followed its largest ever monthly gain in June with another strong 5th largest monthly gain in July. Over the past five months, leisure & hospitality added 12,300 jobs, and the 13,250 jobs added over the past year is an all-time record. These employment gains may be surprising to those who predicted job losses as a result from three minimum wage increases.
• Trade, transportation and utilities (down 2,600) continues to struggle with the retail component as the source of much of its weakness.
• In the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, all regions gained jobs in the past 12 months.

Hours and Wage Data

• The private sector average work week increased by two-tenths of an hour to 34.4 hours, the highest average work week in the private sector so far in 2017 – and the highest for a July on record (back to 2007).
• After three months of decreases, private-sector average wage rates increased in July by 49 cents to $28.43 per hour and the annual rate of wage increase rose to 5.5%. Nationally, average wage growth remained at 2.5% over the year.