State Labor Force Tops 3 Million as Unemployment Rate Holds

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota's labor force topped 3 million as unemployment remained at its low level for the seventh month in a row.

The state economic development agency says employers added nearly 12,000 jobs in February, mostly in trade, transportation and utilities and hospitality and leisure. February's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, around the same as it's been since last August.

Minnesota's unemployment rate is still below the national average, which ticked down to 5.5 percent last month. The state's employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rate both increased slightly.

Sectors that lost jobs were manufacturing, financial activities, other services and information.

About 111,000 Minnesotans were listed as unemployed in February. That's less than half the number the state saw during the recession.