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.
Minnesota's unemployment rate remained relatively steady in May when private employers added 1,200 jobs. State labor officials say the jobless rate inched up 0.1 percent to 6.6 percent, far better than the national rate of 9.1 percent in May.