Minnesota Unemployment Rate Drops A Tick In November

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota unemployment rate has fallen again, to 4.6 percent in November, as officials point to continuing signs of economic improvement.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development said Thursday that the seasonally adjusted rate was two percentage points lower than the month before. There continues to be a wide gap between Minnesota's jobless rate and the nation's as a whole, where the unemployment rate stands at 7 percent.

State officials said employers actually cut 800 jobs in the month, but a revision of October's data showed that an additional 1,000 jobs were gained in that month. Over the past year, the state has gained 39,800 jobs.

Nine of the 11 industrial sectors that the state tracks have shown year-over-year improvement. Only government and manufacturing are lagging.