Unemployment Rate

Minnesota's unemployment rate has clocked in at a seasonally adjusted 5.8 percent for March, which remains well below the rate this time last year and the national average.

St. Cloud's unemployment rate dropped from January to February. The unemployment rate for St. Cloud last month was 6.4%. That's down from January's figure of 6.7%.

New data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development show the state added 6,200 jobs in February. DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips says the state has now seen three straight months of "strong job growth."

Minnesota's unemployment rate continued to move downward in December to a rate of 5.7 percent. State officials say it's now lower than at any time since the September 2008 financial collapse.

Minnesota's unemployment rate has taken another big drop, falling to 5.9 percent for November.

The St. Cloud metro area has it's lowest unemployment rate in three years. The September unemployment rate for the St. Cloud metro area was 5.7%, that's down from the 6.5% recorded in August.

The St. Cloud metro area got some good employment news today (Tuesday). The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says our unemployment rate dropped a half-percent in August, compared to July. Local unemployment is now at 6.5%.

The unemployment rate in the St. Cloud metro area ticked-up one-tenth of a percent last month.

Governor Mark Dayton starts a statewide jobs tour next week hoping to build a legacy as a jobs governor, with last month's government shutdown behind him. The first-term Democrat will kick off the tour in Fergus Falls on Wednesday.

Minnesota's state government shutdown boosted the unemployment rate last month as the state lost a net 19,800 jobs, mostly due to the government closure. The Department of Employment and Economic Development on Thursday reported a 7.2 percent jobless rate for July, up from 6.8 percent in June.