Rochester outpacing Minnesota in jobs recovery, added 1,100 jobs in May

ROCHESTER — The Rochester space is outpacing the remainder of Minnesota in recovering jobs misplaced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, however the labor market within the area remains to be tight.

The Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Space, which incorporates Dodge, Olmsted, Fillmore and Wabasha counties, added 1,109 jobs — or 0.9% — from April to Could, based on state information launched final week.

That is the best variety of jobs added since Could 2021. The area is at 124,572 jobs and has exceeded pre-pandemic job numbers since February, the one metropolitan area in Minnesota to take action.

“The financial system is simply actually sturdy there,” stated Cameron Macht, a regional analyst with the Minnesota Division of Employment and Financial Growth (DEED).

Macht pointed to the focus of well being care jobs as a think about Rochester’s financial development, although different industries within the area are making features. The world added about 450 new leisure and hospitality jobs in Could, although that trade is not fairly on the job ranges seen in 2019.

The Rochester space added 459 mining, logging and development jobs within the month. That trade fluctuated throughout the pandemic however has exceeded pre-pandemic job numbers all through 2022.

Training and well being companies dropped 143 jobs from April to Could, however the trade is up by 490 jobs from this time final yr and has constantly grown since 2019.

The area’s unemployment price remained regular at 1.3% in Could, persevering with the realm’s record-low unemployment. But the Rochester space’s labor pool shrunk by 449 folks from April to Could to 126,648 folks in whole.

Rochester’s labor drive did not drop as steadily as different elements of the state throughout the early months of the pandemic, although nearly 12,000 folks had been unemployed in Could 2020.

Since then, the realm labor drive has constantly elevated yr over yr. But Rochester’s traditionally low unemployment price displays the troublesome labor marketplace for employers in southeast Minnesota and all through the state. State officers estimate there are just one,665 folks unemployed within the space looking for work.

“Basically, employers are gobbling up each accessible employee they will discover within the area,” Macht stated.

DEED officers are pushing a jobs marketing campaign this summer season to attach unemployed Minnesotans to accessible work. Officers estimate there are greater than 214,000 job vacancies in Minnesota.