Minnesota’s unemployment rate improved slightly to 7.7% in July, down from 8.6% in June, though state officials warned that job growth is slowing.
The state added 32,500 jobs in July, up 1.2%, after adding 84,700 jobs in June, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Employment Economic Development (DEED).
The private sector added 26,300 of those jobs while the government accounted for 6,200 of the jobs.
“We’re moving in the right direction, but growth is slowing, a sign that this recovering will likely take some time,” DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said in a statement.
Job gains were led by leisure and hospitality, which has seen the biggest employment declines during the pandemic, with the addition of 17,200 jobs. But a couple of sectors lost jobs in July, such as professional and business services, as well as information, which both lost 900 jobs. Construction also lost 400 jobs.
In total, the state has added back about 143,000 jobs in recent months after shedding more than 380,000 jobs in March and April.
DEED also noted that the unemployment rate has had a bigger impact on some demographics in the state. The Black unemployment rate in Minnesota in July was 15.3%, based on a six-month moving average, compared to 8.6% for Latinos and 6.3% for white Minnesotans.