Minnesota’s jobless rate falls to 7.7% but job growth slows

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — New figures show Minnesota’s unemployment rate fell to 7.7% in July from 8.6% a month earlier.

But the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development cautioned Thursday that job growth is slowing as the coronavirus pandemic persists.

The agency says Minnesota added 32,500 payroll jobs in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs in July. The U.S. unemployment rate was 10.2% for July, down from 11.1% in June.

DEED Commissioner Steve Grove says Minnesota is moving in the right direction, but job growth is slowing, and that’s a sign that recovery will take time.