News

Minnesota has 3 straight months of 'strong job growth'

Photo:

Mar 22, 2012 at 12:20 pm

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - 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."

DEED says the state has added 32,300 jobs in the last three months -- regaining more than half of the jobs that were lost during the recession.

The state unemployment rate went up a tenth of a point in February to a seasonally adjusted 5.7 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate is unchanged at 8.3 percent.

Most of the jobs came in education and health services. The government and construction sectors also added jobs, but the state saw losses in professional and business services.