Unemployment Rates Fall, But So Does Number of Carlton Co. Jobs

Unemployment rates are?falling, but?Carlton County also has fewer jobs than it did one year ago, according to the latest statistics from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Carlton County had 16,511 jobs in April, which is 70 less than one year ago.? Still, the unemployment rate for Carlton County?in April was 7.2 percent, down from both one month and one year earlier.

It's possible for the unemployment rate to fall even while the number of jobs falls because the unemployment rate is calculated using the number of people actively seeking work.

"Hiring is strong in multiple industries, though manufacturing and health care appear to slower in general than they've been in recent months," said Drew Digby, a regional labor market analyst for DEED. "Leisure and hospitality hiring remains behind last year."

"One of the main strengths of the job market is that employers have dramatically reduced the number of people they are laying off. In April, seasonal layoffs where at their lowest level for an April in 12 year," Digby said.

Cloquet's unemployment rate for April was 7.8 percent.? Other rates included 7.8 percent in Aitkin and Pine counties, 8.4 percent in Cass County, 6.8 percent in Crow Wing County, and 10.7 percent in Brainerd.

Northeastern Minnesota as a whole, including Carlton and Aitkin counties,?saw a net gain of 180 jobs over the year.? The regional unemployment rate for April was 6.7 percent.? All cities and counties in northeastern Minnesota saw unemployment declines in April, over the course of both a month and a year.

The local unemployment numbers are not adjusted for regular seasonal variations.? The statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for April was 6.7 percent, while the national unadjusted rate was 8.1 percent.

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