Minnesota Posts Robust Job Gains in January

ST. PAUL  (AP) - New figures show Minnesota gained 15,500 jobs in January, nudging the state's unemployment rate down a tenth of a point to a seasonally adjusted 5.6 percent.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development says that boosts the state's job gains since January 2010 to 29,000. The department says total jobs in the state have grown 1.1 percent over the past year, compared with 1.5 percent nationally.

Minnesota remains well below the U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3 percent.

DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips says the robust job growth in January points to an economy gaining momentum. He says the private sector has been particularly strong, adding 27,200 jobs in the past two months alone.

As of December, the department says, the state had regained 38 percent of jobs lost in the recession.

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