Jobs in Minnesota increased by almost 0.3% during this period while they were essentially flat across the U.S.



Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Press Release


*For Immediate Release*




Mary Haugen

[email protected]




January 8, 2026

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Latest Minnesota Jobs Numbers Show Faster Growth Than U.S.

"Jobs in Minnesota increased by almost 0.3% during this period while they were essentially flat across the U.S."

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota employers added 8,900 jobs between September and November even as the United States as a whole was essentially flat, according to the most recent data released today by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Minnesota’s unemployment rate was 4.0% in November (compared to 4.6% nationally), rising by 0.3% since September as the state added more job seekers; the labor force increased by nearly 8,500 people from September to November and the labor force participation rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 68.2%.

Jobs in Minnesota increased by almost 0.3% during this period while they were essentially flat across the U.S.

“Minnesota’s employers are continuing to hire even as national trends point in an uncertain direction,” said *DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. *“Minnesota employers are adding jobs while the national labor market stalls out, which is good news for our state. We are monitoring our unemployment rate and working hard to connect workers to good jobs.”

The federal government shutdown last fall delayed the release of jobs numbers for the months of September through November. Due to the shutdown, some labor force data was not collected for October, and therefore, over-the-month change from October to November is not available for some parts of this report. 

DEED will release monthly data for December on January 22 as the jobs numbers reporting schedule [ [link removed] ] returns to normal.

As of November, Minnesota gained more than 40,700 jobs over the year, up 1.3%, with the private sector gaining 40,500 of those jobs, up 1.6%. Both rates are faster than the nation’s: overall, national employment grew 0.5% over the year with the private sector up 0.7%.

Seven supersectors posted positive annual growth in Minnesota, led by Construction (up 11,600 jobs, or 8.3%) and Education and Health Services (up 24,700 jobs, or 4.1%). Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, Manufacturing, Leisure and Hospitality, Mining and Logging and Government also added jobs.

Financial Activities (down 3,700 jobs, or 2%) and Information (down 2,200 jobs, or 5.1%) led supersector losses. While Government added jobs overall, federal government employment in Minnesota declined 5.9%.

“We are monitoring several trends in our jobs numbers, including ongoing private sector growth and the continued strength of Minnesota job growth compared to the overall United States,” said *Angelina Nguyen, DEED Labor Market Information director*. “The resumption of regular employment reporting will give us a clearer picture of our labor force as we monitor the economy.”

Visit the DEED website to view full state and national employment statistics [ [link removed] ], monthly jobs numbers [ [link removed] ] and further analysis of this month's data [ [link removed] ]. You can also find alternative measures of unemployment [ [link removed] ]. In addition, find related articles about job growth and labor market changes in the latest issue of Minnesota Employment Trends [ [link removed] ]. Access resources to help Minnesotans prepare for and find employment now at CareerForceMN [ [link removed] ].

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"Upon request, this information can be made available in alternate formats for people with disabilities by contacting the DEED Communications Office at 651-259-7161."





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