Unemployment Rate Up 1%, Expert Says That’s ‘Good News’ [AUDIO]

ST. CLOUD -- The unemployment rate for the St. Cloud metro area went up a full one-percent from December to January.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says we're at 7.8% unemployment now.  However, St. Cloud State University Economics Professor Rich MacDonald says that's good news.  He says it's our lowest January unemployment rate in several years.

Our unemployment rate last January was 8.5%, and in January of 2009 it was 9.2%.

MacDonald says he's expecting us to see unemployment figures back down into the five's from May to October of this year.