15,900 nonfarm jobs were added in Minnesota in April, lifting payrolls 0.5% from March for the state's biggest monthly gain since March 2024.
DEED said the surge was partly tied to a significantly smaller ICE presence, even as labor force participation fell for a fourth straight month to 67.4% and the average workweek slipped below 33 hours.
Seven supersectors added jobs over the month, led by leisure and hospitality with 3,800, trade, transportation and utilities with 3,100, construction with 2,100, and manufacturing with 1,900.
Annual growth remained weak: Minnesota added just over 4,000 jobs, or 0.1%, from a year earlier, while major regional centers including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Rochester, St. Cloud and Mankato still posted year-over-year declines.
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