Ramsey County Unemployment Rate Falls in August

Following the lead of Minnesota and several counties, Ramsey County's unemployment rate is down from a year ago,  according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Ramsey County's seasonally-unadjusted jobless rate in August was 6.2 percent, down from 6.8 percent the same month in 2011,  according to DEED data released today (Thursday). That latest jobless rate is also substantially down from August, 2010 when Ramsey County's non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 7.8 percent.

The state's seasonally-unadjusted jobless rate was 5.6 percent in August and that of the nation was 8.2 percent.

DEED's report today is the latest information available for county unemployment rates.

In a news release today (Thursday), DEED said Minnesota employers added 5,900 jobs in September. The agency said the state's seasonally-adjusted jobless rate of 5.8 percent was below the U.S. rate of 7.8 percent for the same month.

Meanwhile, Minnesota's jobless rate not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations was 5.3 percent in September, down from 5.8 percent from the same month in 2011.

With last month's jobs gain and a revised August number that now shows a lower job loss for that month then first reported, Minnesota has gained about 34,700 new jobs over the last year, DEED said. Total jobs in Minnesota have grown by 1.3 percent in the past year, compared with a 1.4 percent growth rate nationally, the department said.

“Minnesota has recovered nearly 90,000 jobs since hitting the low point of the recession three years ago last month,” Blake Chaffee, DEED director of communications,  said in a press statement. “The labor market has been steadily improving since then, but we still have more work to do.”